Too Close for Comfort
by mandalorian7567
Summary: Anakin had always been implulsive, but grabbing a high-profile senator right out from under the nose of a Jedi was taking things to a whole new level. His evening had definately not gone as planned. AotC AU, in which Anakin Skywalker isn't trained as a Jedi, and Zam Wesell isn't the one hired to assassinate a certain senator from Naboo. bounty hunter!Anakin, T for safety.
1. Chapter 1

Jango handed him the cylinder. He peered inside, they seemed to be some kind of anthropods. Because they were silent and extremely poisonous, they made an excellent assassination weapon. He smiled and looked up at Jango.

"Should be easy," he said. Jango didn't smile back. "Zam already failed this morning with the explosion. They'll be expecting another attack. There is no more room for mistakes."

Anakin's lip quirked upward again. "Have I failed you yet?"

This time Jango had to smile back. Though they had never been close, he had watched the boy grow from an overeager child into an effective weapon, and no, he hadn't yet left a job unfinished.

"You know where to meet me when the job is done." Without further ado, he sped away. Anakin had already been briefed on the details, just as Zam had been. Jango often employed both of them to get a job done; sometimes he needed more than one person, and sometimes he just wasn't in the mood for second chances. _Like now_, Anakin thought with a grin.

He didn't know much about his target, but politicians were always the same to him: snobby, rich, and didn't give a kriff about their 'inferiors.' They didn't care what happened to the people they represented unless it benefited them. This old Nubian senator probably had the same profile as that old sot from Moer he had offed a few months back.

_Well_, he mused, _not all politicians are so bad_. One of his most cherished memories was of a beautiful queen from Naboo with the face of an angel. She was, in fact, from the same planet as the old fogy he was going to assassinate tonight. _But she's not even a politician_, _not really_, he thought. _A queen isn't the same thing as a senator_.

He arrived at his target's window, thousands of feet above the ground levels. He gingerly carved a hole in the window, careful not to make any noise that would wake the senator. The anthropods slid inside, where they would instinctively feed on the only living thing in the room. _Easy_. He honestly didn't know what Jango had been so worried about; any amateur could assassinate someone with _anthropods_. It didn't take any sort of skill. He turned to leave, barely sparing a glance at the senator-

And what he saw made him _freeze_.

What he saw was definitely _not_ the pompous old fogy he had fully expected.

What he saw was an _angel_.

Thoroughly frazzled, all he could think was get inside, _get inside_, don't let those things _touch her_! He didn't care about getting caught anymore, he had to _save her_. He reached deep inside himself, where he often felt _something_, something elusive he couldn't name. He used it to channel all the energy around and inside him, and _pushed _it all at the glass. It shattered, and he leapt inside to find the anthropods just _inches _from her, and with two bolts from his blaster they were dead.

Unfortunately, the sound of the blaster had also woken Padme. She stared at him wide-eyed for a moment that seemed like an eternity. He realized what he must look like, standing in her sleeping quarters in front of a broken window holding a smoking blaster.

In that same moment, he realized that Jango would be back to kill her, with Zam to help him. He also knew that her guards wouldn't be enough to keep her safe, after how easily he had gotten in. Not even _Jedi_ would be suitable; the Jedi hadn't even good enough to protect his _mother_.

He thought of all this in the second before she was about to scream. Before she could, he clamped a hand over her mouth, scooped her up into his arms, and slung her over his shoulder. Padme clearly did _not _appreciate this, she first kicked him so hard he nearly dropped her, and when that didn't work she actually _bit _his hand.

"Arhg!" he yelled in surprise, and let go of her mouth. She started yelling for help, and not a second later, a strangely familiar lightsaber-wielding jedi burst into the room. "Stop them!" he yelled, but it was too late. Anakin was already back out the window; he dumped Padme unceremoniously into the back of his speeder and strapped her in.

She started yelling very unladylike things at him, most of which he couldn't hear because of the starting engine of his speeder. After he had sped, they unfortunately became much clearer.

"You take me back this instant, _Sleemo_," and "I have powerful friends!" and of course "You will _never _get away with this!"

"I'm trying to _protect_ you!" he yelled back, but she hardly seemed to hear him, and continued on her indignant rant. As if it wasn't hard enough to lose a jedi on his tail _without _a senator yelling in his ear.

Thanks to his _superb _flying skill, he did lose the Jedi. However, he was still faced with the more difficult problem of where in the _galaxy _he could go to keep Padme safe and how to keep her from escaping and going right back into the line of fire. She had a big enough price on her head that it was going to be a real job keeping her alive.

This evening had definitely _not _gone as he had planned.

Anakin could take her to Corellia, or Tatooine...but that wouldn't solve the problem. He needed to know who put the price on her head, and how to get rid of it...

The problem was that he didn't have a _clue _who hired Jango. His job wasn't to ask questions, it was to get the job _done_.

Well, and even if he _did_, it's not like he could take Padme anywhere near the people that were trying to kill her. So it was clear that he had to find out who was trying to kill Padme without putting her in danger. Somehow. One of Jango's favorite lectures echoed in his head: _"Always get to know your enemy before you go and do something that will piss them off. That way, you will know their weaknesses, and when they clue in you can be as far away from them as possible."_

Anakin _had _always been impulsive, and it had gotten him and Jango into a few not-too-pleasant situations.

_Well_, he thought, _you _did _just grab a high-profile senator right out from under the nose of a Jedi._

Speaking of the senator, she had been awfully quiet for the last few minutes. He craned his head to look back on her and saw something large and metal-looking come toward his head.

_Oh no, _ he thought numbly before the object slammed into his face, and everything blacked out.

**. . . . . . . . . . **

Anakin awoke simultaneously feeling as though he had been asleep for a very long time and also as though he had only just drifted off. He was in an uncomfortable position. _Must have fallen asleep in the kitchen again, _he thought absentmindedly, _Mom will be upset; she thinks it will make me sore_. Well, in all fairness, he _was _sore, but wasn't about to open his eyes just yet.

He reached out with his _something _and felt a quite lovely, and quite _irritated_ presence beside him.

"Mom?" he grumbled, and opened his eyes.

What he saw was definitely _not _his mother. It was a very angry looking Padme, who was currently pointing a blaster at his head.

_His _blaster.

Anakin's recent activities whooshed back into his head like an unpleasant headwind. He opened his mouth to say something, but she cut him off.

"Who are you, and who are you working for?"

Anakin opened his mouth a second time, a snarky reply on his tongue, but she cut him off again.

"Why did you send the kahouns in to kill me and bomb my ship if your plan was to take me alive?"

"I-"

"Where were you taking me?"

She really _was_ quite a sight, sporting disheveled hair and a nightgown but still somehow managing to look regal and spit fire from her eyes.

"I was hired by an independent mercenary who's client's name was kept private." The trained response was what came out, even though he was thinking something _entirely_ different.

She didn't buy it. "Who hired you?" she repeated.

"Look, I don't know, but I can find out-"

"You have not been cooperative, so you will be taken in for questioning. I have already contacted the Jedi; they are on their way. Unless," she said, raising an eyebrow, "you tell me what I need to know..."

"I know how to find out who's trying to kill you," he said quickly. "Whoever else you would hire doesn't have my resources _or_ my contacts. I could have you safe faster than anyone."

She paused. "I don't trust you. Besides, I already have Jedi investigating my assassination attempts."

Anakin snorted. "The Jedi are great for interplanetary disputes and stuff, but they don't have _half _my resources or my, uh.._.specialized knowledge_."

She still didn't seem convinced, but at least she didn't look like she was going to shoot him anymore.

"I can double whatever your employer has offered if you'll stop trying to kill me, but I don't hire bounty hunters. What is your pay rate?"

"I-" he started, but his voice was shaking. Anakin looked down at his hands, and started again. "I don't _want _you to pay me. I...I just want you to be safe," he said quietly. He _couldn't _let her pay him to _not kill her_; the thought revolted him. He didn't look up yet, not sure he wanted to see the expression on her face. Padme was silent for what felt like a long time.

When she finally spoke again, her voice was softer, somehow. It was more gentle, less demanding, and it made his heart flutter. "Like I said, I have investigators, but they won't listen to me," she started slowly. Anakin looked up. "I would like someone to investigate _my _suspicions, and fast." Anakin nodded encouragingly.

"I think Count Dooku is behind it," Padme continued, pausing as if she expected him to protest. He didn't blink. "The Jedi don't agree with me, and are unwilling to investigate the possibility. I want you to look into it. If you're as good as you claim, it should be no problem for you." she added.

He grinned. "I wouldn't put it past Dooku. He's hired the likes of me before to get a job done." Padme seemed surprised by that, but didn't say anything.

They were both quiet for a moment. "If we have an agreement, then, can you take me back to my apartments?" she asked.

He looked back up at her face, shocked. "You can't go back there! With the price on _your _head, you'll be killed before you can say 'assassin!'"

Some of the hard glint came back into her eyes. "I have been working toward this vote for two years. I will not be kept from my duty by petty assassins."

Anakin stuck out his chin stubbornly. "You _can't _go back! You'll _die_!" He most definitely did _not _like how his voice broke when he said the word _die_. _Get a grip!_

"I'll be fine," she said, her voice softer again. "This is hardly the first time I've dealt with assassins."

"But these ones will be _different_," he persisted. "Whoever's trying to off you isn't going to send amateurs. The price rate says _that _clearly enough."

She sighed. "I understand the risks, bounty hunter. If I ran away from danger every time it came at me, nothing would ever get done."

Anakin looked back up at her. _She really doesn't have a clue who I am. _He pushed the thought aside; that really didn't matter right now. "At least let me send some extra security measures. There should have been alarms going off when I first cut the glass to your apartments, and at the very least when the window shattered. And I shouldn't have been able to cut the glass so easily." He really had expected better from 500 Republica. "You shouldn't have even been in a room with a window," he added.

"I will definitely address that with my caretakers, but-" she stared.

Anakin hesitated. "Let me send someone to protect you. Someone I know you and I can both trust."

"Look, you seem to mean well, but I can't let just anyone onto my security," she said.

Anakin grinned suddenly. "You'll know him when you see him. And if you still don't trust him, you can send him away. But I don't expect you will."

Padme sighed again. "I guess that will work. You really should take me back now. The Jedi will be here any minute." She frowned. "I really don't know why they aren't here already."

"Like I said," Anakin said bitterly, "You can't count on the Jedi." Padme's eyes narrowed, but she let it slide.

They sat in silence for a moment, and Anakin cleared his throat. "So if you'll, uh, untie me, then I'll fly you home." She jumped and quickly did so, and they were off.

They were fairly deep into the lower levels, and in a completely different sector than the wealthy Senate area, but after all the years Anakin had spent in his trade, he knew Coruscant like the back of his hand. They were back to Padme's apartments in no time.

He stopped the speeder just out of sight of the still broken window, and pulled out two comlinks.

"These run on a private channel. I modified them myself; they're impossible to hack. We can use them to keep in touch and so you'll be kept up to date on my findings." He handed her one and turned to start up the speeder again, but Padme grabbed his arm.

"Wait. I don't even know your name."

Anakin grinned. "Just consider me your special contact."

Padme opened her mouth to say something, but no words came out. Her bounty hunter smiled again; with a certain spark in his eye, as if he knew a secret she didn't.

"Wait!" she called again, bewildered, but he already had sped off.

She couldn't shake the feeling that there was something familiar about him.


	2. Chapter 2

**Thanks to all who have read and reviewed! **

Padme Amidala stood on the ledge of the empty window frame, her hair mussed from the rush of the speeder. She stared after it, captivated, until it was gone from view, and stood there for even longer after. Suddenly conscious of the unfamiliar comlink grasped tightly in her hand, she looked down at it. It had the same vague shape of a regular comlink, but the similarities stopped there. The wires were exposed, as if they had been made in a hurry, and the side plating looked bronze, rather than the standard metallic grey. There was also a strange opening on the back. It almost looked like a holo recorder, but that would be impossible; it was far too small.

She glanced at her makeshift apartments; the floor was still littered with glass, and there were singe marks on the bed where her bounty hunter had blasted the anthropods. _At least those have been cleared out_, she thought. She didn't want them anywhere near her.

_But who _is _he?_

There were things about him that seemed strangely familiar; his eyes, his smile. It was as if he were something from a dream, or part of a fading memory that was on the tip of her tongue, but for all her effort she couldn't place where she had seen him before. _Or if I even have._

Her thoughts were interrupted by voices spilling in from the sitting room just outside the still open door.

"Where will you look? He could've taken her anywhere; she could even be dead!"

"No, if he wanted _that_, he could've easily let the anthropods finish her off." Padme recognised the clipped Coruscanti accent of the one and only Obi-Wan Kenobi.

"But still, she could be _anywhere_ by now." This one was _definitely _Sabe; it was obvious from the anger and thinly veiled distress in her voice.

"No, I can sense that she's nearby, and most likely unharmed. I believe that it won't be _too _difficult to find her."

"Well, you seem very sure of yourself, considering that you're the one who let him get away!" The huff of annoyance in her voice put a sympathetic grin on Padme's face. She had too often been the target of Sabe's wrath.

"I assure you, milady, I will have her back in no time at all." She could hear the placating smile in his voice, and a slight hint of sarcasm. _Well, he probably already knows that I'm back and unharmed_, Padme reasoned. **She** gingerly stepped off of the window ledge and across the room, careful not to step on any glass, having decided to intervene before Sabe bit Obi-Wan's head off.

Sabe's mouth was open, probably to rebuke her Jedi companion again, but when she saw Padme, her rage evaporated, all thoughts of Obi-Wan vanished from her head.. "_Padme!_" she shouted, and ran to embrace her.

Sabe gave a one horrified look to her appearance, and promptly rushed her off to change.

. . . . .

"Senator, you must understand the risks to your safety."

"I understand them just fine."

"Milady, you _must_ take these extra precautions into consideration. You were almost killed last night."

"But Chancellor, the point is that I _wasn't _killed. This attack _has _convinced me to strengthen my security measures, but running away is hardly what I had in mind. I have worked for two years to oppose this vote, and I _will _be here when it is decided."

The Chancellor sighed. They had been arguing for nearly half an hour, and Padme had been unrelenting. However, she knew from experience that he could be much more stubborn when it suited him; she had been working with him enough to know that everything he did had a hidden agenda, and she would be a fool to think that this defeat was an exception.

"Ah, well, if you have decided, then, I will respect that decision as long as you are still willing to add Jedi Kenobi to your security forces," he said, sighing again. He added, almost as an afterthought, "It wasn't as if I was going to _order_ you off planet." This was said with a small smile, and the look he gave Padme was that of grandfatherly affection, the very same one that had always reassured her in her youth. It didn't quite have the same effect now that it had had then; it hadn't since he had become Chancellor.

**. . . . .**

Anakin eased his freighter into Nubian atmosphere, but the engines weren't too happy about it. The freighter was nondescript and lowered his chances of being caught and apprehended, so he tolerated the whiny engines. _I'll have to look at them when I get the chance._ However, he hadn't been willing to waste even a _second _of Padme's precious time. Jango would be thrown off when Anakin never showed up to meet him, but not for long. Padme needed _someone _on her team who knew what they were doing, and she needed them _now._

And it wasn't like she would've trusted _him _to guard her. She didn't even _remember _him, that idea was preposterous.

He would never have forgotten _her_. It's not like he could have even if he had _wanted _to. It was as if she had imprinted herself, memories of herself onto his very soul so they could come back and haunt him even at the most inconvenient times.

_Not _just _the inconvenient times_, he thought. She never left. She was always there. She had been there in his darkest hours to comfort him, been there to distract him when he needed an escape, and she had been there in the short moments of happiness that had been so few and far between.

Always invading his thoughts, and _always_ welcome.

Ever since they parted, he had somehow held the illusion that she would remember him, too. Not the way he had her, but at least _remember. _At least think of him fondly from time to time, and at the _very least_ recognise him when they met again.

But she had forgotten him completely. And he would never forget that crushed feeling that had arisen in his heart when he saw the way she had looked at him. The _revulsion_, the utter distaste that was about as far as you could get from warm recognition. Sure, he could ignore such things when the situation demanded it, but such things _always_ came back to haunt him later.

He was almost to the landing pad, so he pushed all thoughts of her aside. He had gotten good at that. When one worked with Jango Fett, one learned to control, or at least ignore, their emotions.

_Well, you can't _really _call it a landing pad_, Anakin thought with a slight smile. All it really was a particularly large balcony that had been redone so that it was somewhat suitable for landing small starships (or cargo freighters) without setting the entire building on fire due to questionable landing techniques (_that _had been quite a day).

Anakin had visited so much in his adolescence that the landing pad had been necessary. Jango's specialized training could get intense, and Quarsh Panaka had always been there for him when it became too much. The older man was very hard and disciplined on the outside, but could be kind and warmhearted when he wanted to be.

He remembered the first time the man had made an impression on him.

_He and his mother had just been taken aboard the Nubian cruiser, and it was unlike anything Anakin had ever seen. Everything was sleek and smooth and silver and just the opposite of the coarse browns of Tatooine. Even the temperature was completely different. The cold would make him nervous and homesick later, but right now it was new and exciting. _

_Qui-Gon had taken his mother to the MedCenter to take care of her injuries, but not before promising Anakin that she would be all right. Even though he trusted Qui-Gon more than most people, he couldn't quite make himself believe him. Padme had disappeared somewhere, and Anakin assumed it was to help the queen with something, so he had started to explore the ship. He just couldn't _stand _to sit and wait outside the MedCenter. He eventually found his way into the hall outside the cockpit, and stumbled right into Captain Panaka. _

_The man had been about to scold him, but when Anakin had physically cringed back from the anger in his eyes, Panaka stopped to look at him. He saw the scared and weary look in the child's haggard eyes and the old burlap clothing that told the story of a boy who had lived in poverty. He hadn't known that Anakin was a slave, but he had seen enough to know that he had known hardship from a young age and that his innocence was long gone._

_Panaka had then taken Anakin into the cockpit and sat him down on the pilot's chair. "I've been told you're quite the flyer. Ever flown a starship before?"_

_Then the boy's eyes lit up and his mouth started moving to tell Panaka everything he knew about piloting and all his dreams of seeing every system in the universe and freeing all the slaves once he was grown._

_The pilot was uneasy at first, but they were in hyperspace on a set course, so what harm could a child really do?_

_Later, after the Battle of Naboo had been fought and won, and Anakin's mother found dead of injuries received days before, Panaka had approached the boy again._

_"You will always have a place here. In ten years you could easily be the best pilot in our ranks if you aren't already, but I can see that your place isn't here with us. You want more. I don't know if the Jedi will accept you or not, or if you even _want _to join them, but if nothing else, you will at least have a place here."_

_Panaka hadn't been sure why he had said such things to a child he barely knew. Maybe because he knew what it felt like to be a fish out of water. After all, a militarist hardly fit in with the pacifists of Naboo. More likely, it was because he knew what it was like to lose a parent._

_Nearly two years had passed before the boy had found himself broken enough to come back to Naboo to reclaim the promise of an old soldier who could barely remember the words himself. But surely enough, Quarsh Panaka had given the boy a shoulder to lean and cry on, and a kind ear that was willing to listen to the ramblings of a barely teenaged boy._

_After that, Anakin would return on a nearly monthly basis, and eventually Panaka became the father that Anakin had always needed, and that Jango had never been, despite how long they had worked together._

_Panaka retired from the Naboo Royal Security Forces when Anakin was around thirteen and took up the job of training the Security Volunteers that were the body of the Naboo Security. While the officers were capable, the volunteers had been barely trained and hardly capable in an emergency. Panaka took it upon himself to turn the security program around and in doing so had established the Naboo Royal Security Academy. Anakin sometimes would help with some of the more _specialized _training. The peaceful people of Naboo traditionally were against a strong security force, but Queen Amidala had sanctioned the making of the Academy, reasoning that they needed to be more prepared should something akin to the Trade Federation Blockade ever happen again._

_Speaking of Padme_, Anakin thought, snapping out of his reverie, _He's got some explaining to do._ Panaka had undoubtedly known that Padme had traded the title of Queen for Senator, and yet hadn't in all their time together seen fit to tell him.

_He's _definitely _got some explaining to do._

Anakin gingerly lowered the freighter onto the platform, and turned the engines off, wincing. Quarsh _had _to have heard him, the whole _academy_probably had heard the engines; they sounded like an angry bantha.

Surely enough, Panaka hobbled out on his still-injured ankle. _It must be his off hours._

"Haven't been to see me in a while," the man said gruffly, but the spark in his eye still let Anakin know that Quarsh would never lose his sense of humor, and that he would always be glad to see him.

"Well, I've been busy, old man," Anakin replied with the usual quirk in his lip.

Quarsh then gifted Anakin with one of his rare genuine smiles, and led him in for dinner, knowing that he was always hungry after a long flight.

They fell into a comfortable silence while they ate, both of them knowing that Anakin would open up when he was ready.

"I need your help," the younger man finally said. Quarsh looked up in surprise; Anakin never asked for favors, just sympathy.

"Remember Padme, who used to be queen?" he started, and Panaka choked back a laugh. "How could I not?" Even if Anakin _hadn't _talked about her on a near constant basis when he was younger (and sometimes even as he had gotten older), Panaka _had _dedicated quite a few years of his life to protecting her.

"Well, she's a senator now," Anakin continued, glaring pointedly at the older man.

"Yes, I know. She's been a senator for two years now," Panaka replied, talking slowly and with a small grin, as if he were speaking to a small child. Classic Anakin, clueless about politics. "Our queens are elected, and after Amidala served the maximum two terms, she retired as senator."

Anakin opened his mouth, then closed it again. He looked back up at Panaka, a sheepish grin on his face. "Well, that isn't the point. I've recently been to Coruscant, and she's in danger. The price on her head is big enough to attract the best bounty hunters in the galaxy, and her security is inadequate. I broke the window to her _sleeping quarters_ down, and it didn't even set _alarms _off."

Quarsh raised his eyebrows and cocked a smile. "Do I want to know why, exactly, you were breaking into her sleeping quarters?"

Anakin's cheeks flushed red, and he struggled to reply. "Well it wasn't like _that_, it was for a job, okay?"

This surprised Panaka even more, and his demeanor turned serious. "You accepted a job to murder Padme Amidala?"

Anakin's eyes widened. "No! Of course not, I would never-" He composed himself and cleared his throat. "I had no idea it was her. But that's still not the point. She's unprotected, and I need someone who can protect her, who can protect her _well_, and it needs to be someone she and I both trust. And the only person I say fills _that _description is you." His voice was steady when he said it, but he looked back down at his hands when he was finished. Quarsh sighed. The boy had come a long way when it came to relying on people, but he clearly still felt self-conscious asking anyone for help, even a man who had always been there for him. It was painful to see.

"My nephew, Gregar Typho, is the current head of her security. I don't know why you wouldn't consider him capable."

"I-" he started and then stopped again. Anakin had always had trouble putting his thoughts into words when he got emotional. "_I _don't trust him. And besides, his so-called security measures almost got her killed. If it had been anyone but me-" he stopped there and swallowed.

Panaka sighed. "I'll go and brush up security there, as long as the queen approves. I've been needing to let my replacement trainee handle things on his own, anyway."

Anakin's eyes lit up, and Panaka was rewarded with a genuine smile, one without the usual trace of sarcasm in it. He would never tell Anakin, but he would've given a lot more than a few days' time to see the boy look so _whole_.

**. . . . .**

Padme Amidala stepped out onto the pod that belonged to the representatives of Naboo, and keyed in her vote. She let out her breath, and spared a glance around the Senate. She had done everything in her power to oppose this vote, and it had all led up to this moment. Now was the time for its fate to be decided.

She took another deep breath. She cast her vote, and then there was nothing to be done but wait.

It seemed like an eternity, what was _taking _so long?

Finally the results were cataloged, and a booming voice announced, "The Military Creation act has been denied!"

Padme released the breath she had been holding. They had won! She heard gasps of astonishment, and saw the looks of triumph on her associates' faces.

She let herself smile with them, at least until she looked over at Obi-Wan Kenobi, her bodyguard. They had _won_; she knew the Jedi were against a war. why didn't he look happy? The Republic hadn't formed their army yet, they couldn't have, and now they wouldn't get the chance.

Obi-Wan looked apprehensive, almost wary.

Padme looked around the senate again, and her eyes settled on the Chancellor. His expression was arranged into one of gentle resignation, his politician's eyes carefully left blank.

She still couldn't bring herself to fully trust him.

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_**Some of you may realize that I've modified Panaka's character a bit from the EU (but I guess that's not canon so it doesn't realy matter)**__**, but I think it's for the better of this story. Thanks for reading, please review, I'd love to hear what you think ;)**_


	3. Chapter 3

**Again, thank you so much if you reviewed! (or favorited, or followed) It really helps keep me motivated. I'm so sorry for the long gap since I last updated, it's been a rough few weeks :/. I will try to have the next chapter up soon.**

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**This chapter takes place a few days after the last chapter, so Ani has already begun his investigation. Here is Chapter 3-**

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Serenno was a lush planet far in the Outer Rim, known for its diversity of terrains: deep green forests, huge, sweeping mountains, generous flatlands.

Anakin had never much liked Serenno. He found their aristocrats snobby, and besides, he was allergic to the trees.

His ship, _The Armageddon_, swept over the tops of the trees, where he was sure to be seen.

That was the point. He _wanted _to get caught. This land belonged to Dooku, and he was very protective of it. As he was also very busy, the only way for unprestigious folk like Anakin to get his attention was to break one of Dooku's carefully enforced rules.

Anakin glanced behind him. The afternoon guard was already on his tail, angrily flashing things at him.

He allowed his face to split into a wide grin. _All too easy_.

It wasn't over yet, though. Anakin was just getting to the fun part. If they just had him on trespassing, he wouldn't even get _close_ to Dooku. He would simply be fined or be placed in a mere detention center.

Anakin pushed the engines and his ship lurched forward. He laughed as he sped closer to the developments built near the mountains, and activated his weapons system.

The guard speeders were getting closer, and Anakin let them gain on him. One shot from his ship's weapons at the Count's personal residence would surely get him an audience with Dooku.

He would find out soon enough. He fired and let the guard immobilize his ship.

_Dooku _did _take a liking to me when we last met. Who knows, maybe he's still fond of me._ Anakin spared a glance back at the building he'd scorched.

_Then again, maybe he isn't._

**. . . . . **

Several security protocols later, Anakin found himself sitting handcuffed to a chair in one of the stupid detention centers he had been trying so hard to avoid.

_This is getting nowhere_.

He wasn't quite ready to give up, though. Something told him he would be seeing the Count soon.

**. . . . . **

Count Yan Dooku of Serenno glared through the glass plating separating him from that _boy_. He was _just _as he had remembered, only older. The same arrogant grin was on his face, as if he knew that the Count was looking at him with resentment in his eyes.

_I do not have time for this._

It was beneath him to look into petty acts of vandalism, he knew this, but once he had heard the name of the offender, he hadn't been able to help himself.

_Anakin Skywalker_.

Dooku vividly remembered the day he had met Jango's young protege. The boy had been effective, even then, but that wasn't what had gotten his attention.

It was the boy's Force presence. It was unlike anything he had ever seen; a maelstrom of violent, pure _energy_, untainted and untrained. It was terrifying and beautiful, and the Count got the feeling that if one tripped the wrong wire, the storm would explode outward, ravaging everything in its path.

By all means, the child should have been a Jedi. Why those old fools had let a prodigy like this slip through their fingers was beyond him.

Dooku was glad they hadn't, though. A rare specimen like this would never have fit the Jedi mold, to try and force it would be like destroying a work of art. If the Jedi were to train him, Dooku was sure that they would have kept him from his full potential. The Sith did not conform to such boundaries.

So Dooku had kept tabs on the boy, not ready to take on a project of that magnitude, and yet not willing to trust anyone else with this precious burden.

So he stared back through the glass at a paradox of the Force, and wondered what in the universe he could possibly want.

He didn't have to wonder for long. The boy told him flat out.

"You're trying to have my friend killed."

The Count was quite taken aback. This was unexpected, especially from a mercenary.

"I'm sure I have no idea what you are talking about. Who is this 'friend' you are referring to?"

"Padme Amidala. You hired bounty hunter Jango Fett to kill her."

_Oh. That. _Skywalker was being more frank with him than Dooku was accustomed to. And he had a strange half-grin on his face; the Count couldn't for the life of him configure what the boy could possibly be thinking.

"Correct me if I'm wrong, dear boy, but aren't you _in league_ with Jango Fett?" he replied, placing an expression of grandfatherly kindness on his face.

"That's not important," the boy said with a wave of his hand. A serious look came into his eyes as he leaned forward in his chair. "I don't like it when people try to assassinate my friends."

_The boy has no right. _Dooku kept his face collected and put the _rage_ that had risen up inside him behind carefully placed walls, where it wouldn't interfere with the reasoning of the moment, and where he could call upon it when it could be of use to him.

"Why have you assumed that it was me who hired these so-called assassins? After all, Senator Amidala has many political enemies, myself by no means being the greatest." He gave a placating smile, and tilted his head at Skywalker, a Politician's indicator for reply.

Skywalker wasn't phased. "You have easy access to any mercenary you'd like, and if she were out of the way, it would be that much easier for you to wage your war. Nothing to rouse pacifists to action like making one of their own a martyr."

Dooku's eyes narrowed. While he was sure this plan somehow made sense in that strange mind of his, these assumptions couldn't have been farther from the truth.

"Besides," Skywalker continued, "She has so many enemies within the Republic that no one would even _think _that it could be you, so naturally you would choose to strike now, while the accusations would be pointed somewhere else."

Dooku found himself become slightly impressed. For someone who _clearly _didn't understand how politics worked, he had at least gotten one thing right.

"I do wonder," the Count said, deciding it was time to stray away from that particular topic, "how a person such as yourself becomes acquainted with a high-profile Senator."

Finally, the boy seemed slightly flustered, but he recovered quickly. "That's not important. What's important is that you seem to be sending bounty hunters after a perfectly innocent senator, and I need you to stop."

Dooku was certain that the phrase _perfectly innocent _would under no circumstances apply to a Republic Senator, but he brushed this thought aside.

He stood up. The conversation was moving far too slowly, and he could by no means simply _stop_ the assassinations. _This boy is _far _too comfortable challenging me. He needs to learn his place. _Dooku had found that if one's opponent was under the impression that they no longer had the upper hand, the negotiations would suddenly become much more in the Count's favor. Dooku made for the door.

"Wait!" Skywalker said. He tried to stand up, but he was tied to the chair. "Anyone will do anything for the right price."

The Count allowed himself to hesitate. "I have no need of money."

"I know," the boy said, "My services are at your disposal." Another sly grin appeared at the corners of his mouth, as if he knew Dooku wouldn't pass up an opportunity to study such a _fascinating _force presence.

He hesitated again, and this time it was no show. Then he decided that the Force wouldn't present him with an opportunity that would prove to be a disappointment.

He didn't sit back down, but said, "There is a traitor and a spy somewhere in this complex. You have five days to find and apprehend them. Then, and only then, will there be talk of an arrangement."

Of course, there could be no 'arrangement', but it would prove interesting to see how far the boy had developed his force abilities without training. Dooku had discovered the spy very soon after they had been placed in his abode. He had let them stay; fed them false information, but everything had its time. One door would close, and another, larger door would open.

And in five days, Dooku would know just how vast that new door could be.

**. . . . . **

"_What?_"

"I said, milady, Captain Panaka is here," Sabe replied, looking back at Padme with annoyance in her eyes.

"What in the _galaxy_ is he doing here?" she repeated back at Sabe, blinking furiously.

Sabe narrowed her eyes. "He said that you would know why he came."

"_What?_ I have no idea why he's here!"

"Well, he wants to talk security with you. Maybe you can figure it out."

Padme was going to do just that. She swept out of the room and into the Security Quarters, and sure enough, Panaka was there, ordering Typho's men around as if he owned the place.

"Ah, Senator Amidala, I was just looking for you. I want to move your sleeping quarters to the center of these apartments; that would make it much harder for an intruder to, well, intrude," he said.

"Yes, but I don't understand why Captain Typho can't make the arrangements. He is, after all, the head of my security now." She said this with a gentle smile, Panaka _had _saved her life on several occasions.

The older man stopped giving instructions to her staff and walked toward her.

"While I respect my nephew, and acknowledge that he is very capable, his security measures almost got you killed. I made a promise to our, shall we say, _mutual friend_, that you would be kept unharmed."

Padme blinked. _No. It can't be._

It didn't make sense. How could the retired captain of the Queen's Guard know _her_ bounty hunter? Know him well enough that he came halfway across the galaxy just to do him a favor?

_Or did he?_ "Did he hire you?"

Panaka smiled. "No. This is a favor to you both."

She stepped back. "A _favor_?"

Panaka smiled wider. "Yes. A favor. I spent a good chunk of my life protecting you, Senator, and I'm not going to just sit around and watch it go to waste."

"Yes, but how do you know him? Who _is _he?"

The man was still grinning; she wished he would cut it out. It made her feel as if he was laughing behind her back.

"I don't think it's my place to answer that, but I can say that he's on his way to Serenno right now to do your bidding, free of charge. You have to understand that mercenaries don't gift their services to just _anyone_ for free."

And that was how she left the security quarters more confused than she had been before, but she let the man stay. Maybe part of it was because she couldn't turn him away after all he had done, but most of it was because he was because he was her only connection to this _ghost _she couldn't name and probably shouldn't have trusted.

**. . . . . **

"Captain, no matter how good of security the Senator has, she will remain in danger until the source of these attacks is found." Obi-Wan was pleasant enough in tone of voice, but he gave no leeway when it came to fulfilling what the Council had asked of him.

Panaka sighed and leaned forward, his face in a grimace, as if he were thinking about something unpleasant. "We...well, we already have someone leading the investigation."

The Jedi physically recoiled in his seat, clearly taken aback. "Who?" he demanded. "Where?"

"Serenno," Padme said. "Our investigator's name remains undisclosed." She glared at Panaka as she said this, causing Obi-Wan to frown and glance back and forth between them.

"However," she continued, "I have every right to hire," Panaka's eyebrows raised slightly at the word, but Padme was undeterred, "a private investigator."

Now it was Obi-Wan's turn to raise his eyebrows. "Even one who operates outside of the law?" _It's the only explanation for how she's been acting._ He had known her to be perserverent in both word and action, but he had never expected her to go _this_ far.

Padme's eyes narrowed ever so slightly. "My private business is not Jedi buisness."

Obi-Wan gave a slight smile. "I would never suggest anything of the sort. I was merely expressing my surprise at the thought," he said. "However, I would advise that you tread carefully with certain...people."

"I am well able to take care of myself, Jedi."

Obi-Wan smiled again. "I don't doubt it, but as you seem covered here security-wise, would you allow me the honor of going to Serenno to assist this..._investigator_ of yours?"

The senator exchanged glances with Panaka, and then gave her consent.

**. . . . .**

No more than a couple of hours after the interview (_more like _interrogation), Anakin Skywalker found himself hiding in a cramped _maintenance _closet, of all places.

He needed a proper disguise, but he doubted that the security officer just outside would have appreciated him lurking around changing quarters, where the uniforms were undoubtedly stored.

_Reduced to hiding in a maintenance_ _closet. This is a new low. _What _had _he gotten himself into?

_Five days. _Of course, he had gotten out of plenty of tight spots before with Jango, and on his own, but this one would be a completely different sort of challenge.

_Well, once I accomplish _this_, Dooku will be so impressed with me that he won't even ask for a deal, _he thought with a sudden grin. He turned his head to look over at the sadly drooping cleaning supplies he was sharing the space with. His smile evaporated. _Well, maybe not_.

_Five days._

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**_Thanks for reading! Please leave a review and tell me what you thought. It would mean a lot 3_**


	4. Chapter 4

**Thank you to anyone who reviewed/fav/followed. It means a lot to me.**

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**Chapter 4~**

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Obi-Wan Kenobi's blue-grey eyes slid over the peculiar comlink Panaka had given him, and then glanced out at the plateau his starship had landed on.

_What a peculiar meeting place._

He looked back at the comlink, and then keyed in the code Panaka had given him with it. The comlink itself was also peculiar; what was more was that the Senator seemed to have one as well. She had offered Obi-Wan hers, though Panaka seemed to have seen her hesitation in doing so and had procured another one for him to use.

The comlink sounded a sort of chime to indicate that the code had been received, so he held it up to his mouth to speak.

"This is Obi-Wan Kenobi. May I ask to whom am I speaking with?"

He heard a surprised intake of breath at the other end of the comlink, and then a voice responded.

"Where did you get this code?"

"Quarsh Panaka, who is currently on the security forces of Senator Padme Amidala, gave it to me. I am to assist you in your investigations."

"_Assist _me? I don't need any assistance!" Whoever it was clearly very indignant.

"I assure you, I don't doubt it. Unfortunately, the Jedi Council has assigned me to Senator Amidala's security forces, and it is uncommon for them to allow an unknown hire to be the only investigator."

"Did Padme decide this?" Obi-Wan raised an eyebrow at the casual use of her name, but didn't question it.

"She sanctioned it. She seemed to think that she was well protected enough that she could afford to send me to investigate."

"Where are you?" He sounded incredulous. Surely he hadn't thought himself the only one privy to these investigations? And what was he doing on _Serenno_, of all places?

He held his thumb over the communicator of the comlink. "I'm on one of the plateaus, north of Dooku's residence. It's the tallest one in this area, you should see it."

Apparently, his contact didn't see fit to grace Obi-Wan with a reply, because he heard the comlink click out. He sighed, and contented himself with waiting for this bounty hunter to arrive.

**. . . . . **

It took only minutes for Obi-Wan's contact to arrive, and the suddenness startled him, but not nearly as much as the appearance of the _boy_ that emerged from the speeder.

Or, should he say, force presence.

His appearance _was_ something, Obi-Wan _could_ give him credit for that. He was tall, but clearly young, at least in years. His eyes told a different story. They were steeled in a way that told of tragedy and hardship, but not of weakness. They told of determination. Of someone who would go to any lengths to achieve what they intended.

His armor had a distinct Mandalorian flair to it, though it was not entirely traditional. He wore no helmet, at least not now, and there were clearly modifications to the design, perhaps of his own making.

However, Obi-Wan Kenobi knew that this boy was not from Mandalore, because he knew him. Not by the blue eyes or the windswept hair, but by the _force presence_.

It was like looking into a neutron star, and it wasn't something he would have forgotten. It had been ten years and he still recognised the _pressure_ of that overwhelming presence.

_Anakin Skywalker._

A person he had thought he would never see again. And, even if he had known, he would have never expected the pang of grief that returned so easily to his heart, along with the guilt.

_Obi-Wan, promise... Promise me you will train the boy._

_Yes, master._

He had _promised_. And then he had begged the council to permit Obi-Wan to train him, and they had _agreed_.

But the boy had already been gone, flown off in a stolen starship. The Queen had been furious that Panaka hadn't stopped him; she had been so worried for his safety...

_Well, she certainly isn't concerned about his whereabouts now_, he thought, breaking out of his reverie.

Obi-Wan looked back into Anakin's eyes, but didn't speak. He had no way of knowing whether or not the man remembered him.

Anakin spoke first, steeled eyes boring into him. "What," he spat, "Are _you_ doing in the middle of my investigations?"

_Maybe it would of been better if he _hadn't _remembered me. _Anakin didn't seem to make any attempt at all to hide his contempt.

Obi-Wan spread out his arms in a gesture of goodwill. "I'm here to help with your investigations. Surely you didn't think the Senator would have you looking into them alone?"

The man blinked, clearly taken aback. _He apparently _did _think that_, Obi-Wan thought. He wondered, in what circumstances had Padme hired him? _How did they even get back into contact?_

"I was under the impression that the _Jedi _had refused to look investigate the Senator's claims," Anakin said, the distrust and anger back in his eyes. And the way he spat out the word _Jedi_, as if it were a word too filthy to even utter without a bitter taste in his mouth...

_Well, what did I expect? For him to still revere the Jedi the way he did in his youth? _

Obi-Wan looked back into the mans eyes, and with a carefully controlled expression, said, "Of course not. Our first priority was to make sure she had the necessary protection, but once that was assured, I was permitted to join the investigations. After all, she can't _really _be safe until we find the individual who is behind these attacks."

Anakin opened his mouth as if to protest, but then he seemed to realize that he actually _did_ agree with that statement. He lifted his chin, still scrutinizing Obi-Wan.

"I don't need your help."

Obi-Wan inclined his head in acknowledgement. "Like I said, I don't doubt it. But in situations like these, two sets of eyes are most often better than one, and that can only speed up the investigations. After all, the sooner the investigations are over, the sooner the senator's _life_ will no longer be at risk."

Finally, Obi-Wan saw something falter in his expression. Some of the anger fell away to show the fatigue, some of the indignation gave way to worry.

_He _cares _for her. He legitimately cares for her. _

So there was still a part of him that didn't consist of loathing. The thought gave Obi-Wan hope, and he latched on to it like a starving man.

Because Anakin still hadn't responded, Obi-Wan took the liberty. He cleared his throat. "So if I may, who is your suspect here? I can't recall any of the Senator's more violent enemies having made their residence here."

The young man looked up. "Count Dooku lives here, and the Senator thinks that he is behind the attacks, so this is where we investigate." He lifted his chin again, daring Obi-Wan to protest. He didn't.

_Well, at least he said "we."_

**. . . . . **

Anakin Skywalker was, to say the least, _not happy_ with present arrangements.

It didn't help that they were both shoved into the same nondescript speeder. The Jedi one would have been _far _too conspicuous.

Anakin was thoroughly convinced, however, that this speeder was definitely _not _designed to hold two passengers in the same cockpit.

_Kriffing Jedi think they can kriffing but in whenever they kriffing feel like it. _Anakin had already filled in Kenobi on his sort-of arrangement with Dooku, and the Jedi kept suggesting strategies, as if Anakin didn't even have a plan yet.

"If I may, we could start in the intelligence branch of Dooku's security. For an intruder, that would be the best way to gain information."

Anakin gritted his teeth. "Yes, but I already have a suspect."

The Jedi's eyebrows raised. "Really? Then we should watch him, follow him, to confirm your suggestions."

Anakin felt his cheeks color slightly. _That might have actually been a good idea_. He gritted his teeth again.

"My suspect is already in custody."

The Jedi could do little to hide his surprise; he actually managed to _back away_ from Anakin in the small cockpit.

"_What? _How...?" He must have thought better of whatever comment he was thinking of. He closed his mouth, swallowed, and then started again.

"Well, then I suppose we will need to interrogate them, unless you've already done that." Obi-Wan glanced warily at Anakin, as if he half expected him to say yes.

Anakin held back an involuntary grin and shook his head. "No. Interrogation isn't, er, my specialty." His urge to grin died as soon as he said it. No, interrogation was definitely _not_ his idea of a decent information gathering technique.

Now it was Obi-Wan's turn to let a modest grin slip. "That's all right. I, myself, am somewhat accomplished at negotiation."

Anakin nodded, and after that, they fell into a semi-comfortable silence, and it actually was somewhat bearable, in Anakin's opinion, at least until the Jedi had started asking kriffing _questions _again.

"So, my friend, how did you get back in contact with the Senator? I'd been under the impression that she had searched quite hard for you in the earlier years after you left. I wasn't aware that she had found you."

When Kenobi started talking, Anakin found himself slightly annoyed because it was _none of his business_, but then he found himself suddenly captivated by the implications in what the Jedi was saying. Anakin found himself momentarily unable to speak.

_She _searched _for me?_

In all the years since he had left Naboo, Anakin hadn't once thought that Padme might have _worried _about him. He hadn't even said goodbye, thinking that she would be too busy to see him. He hadn't wanted to interrupt the _more important things_ that she was bound to have been doing.

Anakin swallowed a lump that had somehow formed in his throat. He had never known she _cared _that much.

He blinked and looked back at Obi-Wan, who wore an unreadable expression on his face. Anakin swallowed again, and found his voice.

"How did you know she looked for me?"

This time he got a half-grin from the Jedi. "She threw quite a fit when you disappeared. I remember when she found out that Panaka had let you go; the man can handle armies and battle plans just fine, but give him a self-righteous queen and it's an entirely different story."

Anakin had to laugh at _that _image; he had seen Panaka intimidated on a few rare occasions; it wasn't a pretty sight.

But Padme...she had wanted to know where he was. She had not only noticed he had gone, but she had apparently tried to _find _him.

"Do you...do you know where she tried to look for me?"

Obi-Wan again wore that peculiar, unreadable face.

"No, I don't know. That was part of why she was so upset; you could have been anywhere."

_She looked for me. _

He still wondered why she hadn't recognised him, but it didn't bother him so much now that he knew she had _cared_.

At least, she _had_. The question of whether or not she did now was still unanswered.

Anakin looked back over at Obi-Wan, who was beginning to speak again.

"I do wonder, which one of you made contact first?"

"I-I did."

"Well, I'm sure she was relieved to know that you were all right, regardless of who found who."

Anakin felt a sudden pang of guilt. He had never thought of her being worried, but it made sense. She would have felt responsible for him after Qui-Gon's and his mother's deaths, and he had left without even a word. _And she still doesn't know I'm all right. _She hadn't recognised him when he rescued her; she had no way of knowing what had happened to him after he had left Naboo.

_In all fairness, she _was _busy. _True as it may be, it didn't make him feel any less guilty.

**. . . . . **

Obi-Wan, was to say the least, _surprised _when his companion led him to a maintenance closet to find the unconscious prisoner. He raised his eyebrows at Anakin, who put his hands up defensively.

"What? I used a sleeping drug, perfectly harmless."

The Jedi left one eyebrow cocked. "And you locked him in a maintenance closet."

The corners of Anakin's lip quirked upwards yet again. "You'd be surprised how useful those things can

be."

Obi-Wan shook his head, deciding he didn't want to know.

Anakin glanced around. "We should move him. He should wake up soon, but I don't know exactly when."

Obi-Wan shook his head again. "There's no need. I can wake him up right here." He bend down and leaned his forehead against the unconscious man's and closed his eyes, using the Force to remove all traces of the drug from the man's system. He felt the prisoner begin to stir and looked back up at Anakin, who was staring at Obi-Wan in awe with his lips slightly parted.

Suddenly, Obi-Wan could see traces of the nine-year-old boy in the man before him. The childlike innocence was still there, evident in the wonder in his eyes.

_So it hasn't all been forced out of him._ It was almost a miracle, considering what the boy must've gone through in his life as a slave, and then who knows what after.

The prisoner groaned, putting an end to the moment. Both Anakin and Obi-Wan knelt in front of him, and Obi-Wan noticed what must be the rank symbol on his uniform. He didn't know what it meant, but he hoped that Anakin had the sense not to grab someone with a high enough rank that his superiors would notice him missing.

Obi-Wan positioned himself so he was on an angle to the man, and Anakin followed his lead. This was to make himself less threatening, in hopes that the man would respond better this way.

Anakin looked at him. "The drug will give him a headache and make him hazy for a few minutes, kind of like a hangover." Obi-Wan wondered briefly if Anakin knew this from personal experience, but decided that he didn't really want to know the answer. He looked back at Anakin and nodded; the haziness was to their advantage; the more clear headed the prisoner was, the less likely he would be to talk.

The man lazily glanced around for a moment, and then seemed to realize where he was, because his eyes grew large and he quickly scrambled up to a sitting position. He then tried to stand up, but Obi-Wan put a restraining hand on his shoulder.

The man didn't say anything, but frantically glanced back and forth between his two captors. _Poor man_, Obi-Wan thought. _Between Anakin's armor and my Jedi robes, we must be quite an intimidating sight._

Obi-Wan cleared his throat. "Sir, we were wondering if we might ask you a few questions."

The man didn't offer a reply, but he closed his gaping mouth and swallowed. _So much for the haziness._ The shock of the situation seemed to get rid of _that_ more effectively than time would have.

The man's eyes were still bulging. _Not exactly an ideal place to get him to talk_, Obi-Wan thought. He gave the man an encouraging smile and asked, "How long have you been employed here?"

The man's eyes grew even wider. _Well, I know a lost cause when I see one._ He looked at Anakin and shook his head.

Anakin nodded and before Obi-Wan could say anything, got out a damp cloth and put it over the man's mouth. Their prisoner slumped over, unconscious once more.

"You didn't need to knock him out!"

Anakin seemed offended that Obi-Wan would feel the need to question his methods. "We need to take him with us! How else would we get him to come quietly?"

"We could have gagged him and made him walk. Now we have to carry him!"

Anakin opened his mouth, another reply on his tongue, but then they both froze, both feeling the same thing in the hallway outside.

_We're about to have company_.

In an unspoken agreement, Anakin slung their captive over his shoulder and Obi-Wan opened the door. He glanced at Anakin, and confirmed that they were both thinking the same thing. They could feel that the end of the hallway that they had come through remained empty; the life forms were all coming from the other end. _If we hurry we should be able to make it._

One after another they rerouted their way through the back of the complex; the closet where Anakin had stored the prisoner hadn't been very far in. They only had to backtrack twice when they almost ran into security personnel, and they were back out to their borrowed speeder almost before they knew it.

Unfortunately, they still had an unconscious prisoner with whom they had no idea what to do, and who may or may not turn out to be the key to saving Padme Amidala from further assassination attempts. Anakin assured him that he had plenty of the sleeping drug; that wouldn't be a problem.

Still, their plans had gone _completely_ askew, and they only had three days left to find Dooku's spy, not to mention what would happen after that.

This was _not at all_ what Obi-Wan had expected when he had come to assist in these investigations. He looked over at Anakin, and all he got was yet another lopsided grin.

He had a sneaking suspicion that this was often how things went when one worked with Anakin Skywalker.

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**A/N: Thanks for reading! Just so you guys know, I try update every other Tuesday, but as you may have noticed, sometimes I get behind and it turns into every 3 weeks.**

**I don't have a ton of expirience writing Obi-Wan's POV, let me know how I did. We will hopefully be getting back to Padme soon, for those of you who missed her in this chapter, and to my fellow Anidala shippers, your patience will pay off, maybe not in the next chapter, but soon ;)**

**Reviews = love :). They really help a ton.**


	5. Chapter 5

**A/N-**

**Well, I guess you could say I'm back from the dead. I've had a sudden burst of inspiration for this story, and I've corrected my mistake from before and written a complete outline for the plot of this story, so the muse hopefully won't kill me again ;) I will update when I can, but I'm not sure how often that will be.**

**I know that this chapter isn't as exiting as previous chapters, but it was necesary for plot reasons :)**

**WARNING: There is a death in this chapter**

Padme Amidala stared at the transmission. Obi-Wan evidently hadn't seen fit to actually speak to her to deliver his progress report; he had just delivered a written message to her new comlink, the one given to her by her bounty hunter.

Her jaw tightened as she read it again. _Regular comlinks can't even deliver written messages._

Maybe _that_ little detail wouldn't have been so annoying if she for the life of her could figure out how to send written messages on the comlink herself, or if the message itself hadn't been so infuriatingly _vague._

_Senator Amidala: The investigations are progressing. Your mercenary made contact with Count Dooku before I arrived. His methods are quite unorthodox._

She continued to stare at it, as if her gaze could somehow unearth the meaning behind those maddenly short sentences.

_His methods are quite unorthodox._

She wondered again why she had ever seen fit to send a bounty hunter to investigate her assassination attempts. This recent impulsiveness was_not_one of her usual characteristics. _What was it about those sincere, pleading eyes that made me trust a _bounty hunter _of all people?_

Maybe it would have been easier if Obi-Wan would actually_tell her _what was going on. She hated being left in the dark.

A sudden bang shook her office, breaking her concentration. Another bang went off. They seemed to be coming from the direction of the landing pad.

Padme froze. Half of her security force had been assessing the landing pad for weaknesses.

She immediately shoved the comlink in her pocket and rushed towards the noise. She had barely gotten into the hallway next to her office when she slammed into Captain Panaka.

_At least_ he's _all right. _

"Milady, we must get you into the main buildings as quickly as possible. We think there may be more coming."

"We have to get the guards out of there first. There could be too many wounded for the med staff to carry."

"Milady-"

No longer listening, she brushed past him in the direction of the landing pad. Padme Amidala did not leave her men behind. She knew Captain Typho would already be setting up a defense so the med staff could at least move the wounded. Whatever her bounty hunter and Panaka seemed to think, she trusted Typho. Still, he was only one man, and she was worried he might not have enough time to secure the area before a second attack occurred.

She brushed past the med staff with a full load of wounded guards. Relief washed over her as she noticed that most of the injuries didn't look fatal. As she stepped onto the landing pad, her brown eyes surveyed the wreckage that had, just moments ago, been half her security team.

Her breath sucked in at the number of guards that were lifeless on the ground. She realized that the med team had first gotten out those most likely to survive, leaving the more serious injuries to lie in the bomb wreckage. Her heart skipped a beat. _They'll die if not gotten out soon_.

When she looked more closely at the scene, she realized that not only were they injured, they were unprotected. _Where in the galaxy is Typho and why isn't the area secured yet?_

As she took a few steps forward, her foot brushed against the answer.

The charred mass of flesh would have been unrecognizable if it hadn't been for the still visible eye patch that was unmistakably Typho's. He and the surrounding guards had taken the brunt of the attack.

A hand flew to Padme's mouth as she took an involuntary step back. Typho had been protecting her for years, and they had become good friends. Numb, she barely felt Panaka's hand touch her shoulder.

"Milady, there is nothing we can do for them now. Come, we have to get into the main buildings quickly, or their deaths will have been in vain." She turned around to see his eyes; they were still professional, still focused, but flooded with unbearable pain and sadness. It was apparent that only years of experience could keep him up and ready to move at a moment like this.

She was suddenly very aware that while she had lost her companion and head of security, Panaka had just lost a beloved nephew. Padme closed her mouth and followed him inside.

**. . . . .**

Obi-Wan heard some mumbled noises coming from the back of the speeder, and knew that their guest was slowly regaining consciousness. He and Anakin had barely gotten him to squeeze in with them while unconscious (the speeder _was _only meant for one person), and an awake and unwilling passenger would make piloting the speeder very difficult for Anakin. Obi-Wan sighed and rubbed his temples. He had a headache just thinking about it, and suggested to Anakin that they figure out something to do with their suspect. All he got in response was an angry glare. He sighed again.

"Anakin. We can't keep him drugged forever."

Anakin's indignant eyes glanced and Obi-Wan. Being stuck in a very small speeder with two other people had evidently worsened his mood. "What do you suggest?"

"I suggest we see what he knows. Land somewhere and we can interrogate him."

Anakin gave no response, but pulled down onto the nearest plateau. They had been flying in an uninhabited area for a while, intending to throw off any of Dooku's guards that might have detected their presence.

After stopping the speeder, Anakin climbed out, opened the door, and unceremoniously dumped their nearly-conscious suspect on the ground. He looked at Obi-Wan pointedly.

Obi-Wan resisted the urge to sigh once again.

He got down on his knees, placed his forehead on the suspect's, and cleared his mind. The suspect's eyes blinked and looked around, clearly confused at his surroundings.

This time, Obi-Wan was careful to send soothing vibrations out in the force, hoping to avoid the panic that had arisen in the suspect in the maintenance closet. It seemed to be working. He was so focused on the feelings of the suspect that Obi-Wan almost didn't notice how Anakin stared at him intently the entire process. His curiosity and wonder evidently outweighed his loathing of the Jedi, at least when the force was concerned.

Their suspect was fully conscious now, looking wary of his surroundings, but sufficiently calm, thanks to Obi-Wan. The man's eyes were a warm brown, and were those of someone who had seen the better part of his life come and go. His dark hair and goatee were sprinkled with gray, to match the light wrinkles around his eyes.

"Where am I?" was his first question. His captors glanced at each other; they had both detected the slight, barely noticeable, Coruscanti accent. People native to Serenno spoke with similar inflections in their voices, and the less observant wouldn't have noticed the difference.

Looking back at the suspect, Obi-Wan answered, "We have taken you to a plateau not too far from Dooku's palace. If you cooperate with us, we will return you unharmed." Obi-Wan glanced at Anakin as he said this, and he nodded his agreement.

Obi-Wan spoke again. "How loyal are you to Dooku?"

"As much as any man who needs to get paid."

"How long have you been employed by him?"

He shrugged defiantly, distrust still on his face. "Couple years."

Obi-Wan nodded, moving his hand to gently probe the man's mind with the force. "And would you ever betray your employer?"

The man shook his head. "Look. I'm not high enough on the information chain to betray anyone. If I was, I would move back off of this planet. I'm only a maintenance worker"

Obi-Wan looked back at Anakin, raising his eyebrows. _A maintenance worker? I thought the bounty hunter had this planned out at least a little bit. _He looked back at the suspect and sighed. This would get them nowhere.

"What's your name, friend? We mean no harm. We can't let you go until our business is done here, but we_will _let your life get back to normal." Obi-Wan offered his hand to help the man up.

Before he could, Anakin rushed over and shoved the man back down and pushed Obi-Wan out of the way, bending down so he was face to face with him.

"If you are loyal and innocent, why did I see you lying to your coworkers? And if you're one of Dooku's average maintenance workers, why do you have a Coruscanti accent?" These were all angrily huffed out demands, and the man looked taken aback, glancing back and forth between the Jedi and bounty hunter.

He swallowed, and with narrowed eyes said, "My name is Lashet. I was born on Coruscant, and moved here four years ago to find work when my family and I were turned out of our lodgings. The Republic gave no help to me, so I was left with limited options. Dooku gave me work, even if it's only a maintenance job. So I would appreciate it if you would stop accusing me of things and let me get back to work."

Anakin shook his head, not satisfied. "That doesn't tell me why you weren't honest with your coworkers. You lied when speaking of your background and of your family situation." He paused, and shot a defensive glance in Obi-Wan's direction. "I could sense it."

Lashet sighed. "You don't know what it's like, being a foreigner on Serenno, where every status comes from bloodlines. I'm a hard worker. Why do you think I haven't been promoted once in four years? I lie to the people I see every day to get some respect."

Obi-Wan gently nudged Anakin away from the man. He believed that the words Lashet was saying were true. _Interrogating him further will do no good._

"...It seems that you aren't very fond of this place." Obi-Wan said it carefully, aiming to not offend Lashet.

"True," he said, "but I have nowhere else to go. I have to feed my family, and I'm not going to take them somewhere dangerous in the outer rim to find work."

"Then let us help you. The Republic will reward its allies. Help us, and I promise you a better job and protection for your family." Obi-Wan kept his eyes sincere and his voice reassuring, and could see a hesitant amount of hope come into the man's eyes.

He looked back up at Obi-Wan, wrinkled eyes wary. "I'm not sure why, but I'm going to trust you. In all honesty, Dooku is turning out to treat me the same that the Republic did. He keeps cutting my pay, so I'll give you a shot."

Obi-Wan smiled. "Excellent. All my friend and I are going to need is your uniform. Consider these next few days a paid vacation, and then we will return your uniform and help you get your life back to how you want it." He stood up. When one was working with level headed people, all one needed was some calm negotiation, and conflict could be avoided.

"Hold on a second," Lashet said. "If I'm getting off this rock anyway, I don't see why I shouldn't help you in whatever you're doing and_earn _my reward." He folded his arms and held his head high.

Obi-Wan glanced at Anakin, who shrugged. "We could use all the help we can get."

Obi-Wan stood up and pulled out earpieces. "Good. I will put on the uniform and pose as the maintenance worker. Lashet, you will guide me through how to act as one, and Anakin will assist in finding the spy."

Lashet raised his eyebrows. "Finding a spy? In Dooku's palace? I thought you guys were _against _him."

"We_are_ against him," Anakin replied, his sly half smile coming back. "We're just helping him find a spy at the moment."

"To help the Republic," Obi-Wan added.

Lashet shrugged his shoulders. "I never _did_ understand politics."

Anakin managed to shove the three of them back in the nondescript speeder, and a discussion of their plan began.

**. . . . .**

Padme's eyes glanced over her things, all packed up in travel cases. It had been decided that she and Panaka would move to a safehouse on the other side of Coruscant until her assassins had been caught. There was still no word from Obi-Wan or her bounty hunter, and the vote was over for now. It was a compromise, really. They had wanted her to go completely off planet for safety, but she had refused. This way she could get back to the senate in just a few short hours if needed.

It had been made known to her that a quarter of her guard had been killed. Half of the men and women on that landing pad didn't come off of it. Padme had decided that her stubbornness wouldn't take anymore.

Only one possession remained on her, the rest packed away. It was the small bronze comlink, and she couldn't seem to leave it in her pocket for long. Every time she looked at it, more questions came into her head than answers.

It was unlike her to have faith that someone she hardly knew could fix her problems, but she did. Obi-Wan had been sent for security, but strangely enough, it wasn't _him _she couldn't get out of her head.

One thing was for sure. She would have Panaka's full attention for the next few days, and she certainly wasn't going to let him keep all his answers to himself.

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**I will try to update soon, if anyone is still following this story. I will get you some more Ani and Padme interaction, not in the next chapter, but I promise it's coming. What I can tell you is that I'm trying to get more comic relief back, as this chapter seemed a bit more serious to me. I hope you liked my OC.**

**Whatever you think, and if you're still interested after all this time, please review ;) **


	6. Chapter 6

**Thank you so much to all who favorited/followed, and especially to those that reviewed! It means a lot to me. I won't always update on a weekly basis, but it happened this time. Enjoy**

If Anakin Skywalker had gotten his way, he would most definitely _not _have been hiding in Lashet's maintenance closet. Again.

If Kenobi hadn't insisted on being the one to put on the uniform and pose as the maintenance worker, then the situation would be going very differently. Obi-Wan had insisted because he had, or at least, _claimed_ to have more experience in this area.

_My friend_, he had said, _Undercover work takes subtlety and patience. It isn't suitable for one who is overly fond of, say, blowing things up._ That had been said with a pointed look at the part of the palace that Anakin had destroyed to get Dooku's attention that first day. Evidently, the Jedi hadn't noticed _that_ particular detail until their second break in. He had continued, _Besides, you're too tall to fit in Lashet's uniform._

Anakin couldn't help but grin to himself. _Well, at least he got one thing right._

They had embedded a small security hologram into the uniform, and Anakin had rigged a makeshift viewing screen, so he and Lashet could see what Obi-Wan was doing. Lashet made himself very helpful by guiding Obi-Wan through the many halls and passages of the building. Anakin contributed helpful suggestions to the Jedi, such as, _No, go _that _way_, and _Stop touching your beard so much, maintenance workers don't do that_.

However, hard as he tried, Anakin couldn't stop himself but grudgingly admit that Obi-Wan seemed to know what he was doing. The Jedi seemed to have an endless supply of patience and optimism. He had stationed himself in a place where he could hear the higher up officials going about their business, and no one seemed to question his place there.

_At least not yet_.

Obi-Wan had been posing as the maintenance worker for a day and a half, leaving them with little more than a day and a night to unearth the spy. Anakin had begun thinking of changing tactics when suddenly, Obi-Wan tapped the hologram twice. That indicated that his cover was close to being blown, and that he must leave the scene immediately.

Lashet guided him to the closet they were hiding in, and soon enough, the three of them were once again shoved in a space that was _not _intended for holding three people.

As soon as Obi-Wan closed the door, he pulled of his hat.

"Well, the good news is, I know who the spy is. The bad news is that he knows who I am, too."

The other two men looked at each other, and then back at Obi-Wan. "_What_?"

He nodded. "You heard me correctly. I was foolish not to realize before. You should know that us Jedi are kept on a need to know basis concerning the assignments of other Jedi." He sighed. "I hadn't been in close proximity to him before, or else I would have sensed his presence earlier. I was also distracted. I should have noticed earlier."

He looked quite disappointed in himself, and Anakin thought that a humbling experience would do him some good. Lashet, however, patted his shoulder in a consoling way. "Well, at least we know who the spy is now. Point him out, and Anakin here can inform Dooku so we can be done with it."

Anakin nodded his agreement. "What's his name? I'll just, erm, _escort_ him to Dooku and then I can get him to stop the assassination attempts."

Obi-Wan's eyes widened. "No! We can't just hand him over to Dooku, he'll be held hostage, or worse, tortured until he can no longer bear it. This man is on _our side_. There has to be another way."

Anakin's eyes narrowed. "There might not be. We _must _make Dooku stop. This is not up for debate."

Obi-Wan shook his head. "I know this man quite well, and I am sure that he will cooperate with our needs. I am also confident that our mission will take precedence over his. Assignments where lives hang in the balance usually do, especially if the spy was placed here simply for information gathering, and I believe he was."

Anakin wasn't content, and was about to argue more when Lashet spoke.

"Contact the spy. Give Anakin just enough time to tell Dooku his name, and then your friend can escape before Dooku can apprehend him."

Obi-Wan nodded. "It's settled then. His name is Quinlain Vos, and I am sure that if I can just speak with him, we will come to agree with each other. I will signal him and make arrangements." He looked at Anakin and held up his comlink. "I will contact you when the time comes to go to Dooku. This _will_ work."

After a pause, his voice, along with his eyes, softened. "You aren't the only one who cares for her, you know."

Anakin didn't meet his eyes.

A second breath of silence passed, and Obi-Wan nodded to Lashet. He put his maintenance worker's cap back on and left the door closed behind him.

**. . . . .**

Padme glanced around the small apartments, still feeling the weight of the comlink in her pocket. They were below all of the shine and splendor of the higher levels of coruscant, where all of the political business and galas took place. The safehouse wasn't nearly close enough to the surface that the gangs and crime were a danger for them, but it was still much lower than she usually was able to go.

Panaka had just finished unloading their things, and was checking the perimeter for possible hazards, his small dark eyes always vigilant.

He was finished in a matter of minutes; she had forgotten how efficient he was.

"Milady, is there anything you require of me?" The grief still shone from his eyes, and it almost made her refrain from questioning him.

Almost.

Her voice didn't seem to be working, so she simply held up the peculiar bronze comlink that had been causing her so much trouble.

Panaka's eyebrows raised. "What about it?"

"Who is he? I know that you know each other."

Panaka laughed, his grim demeanor lifting just a fraction. "You really don't remember, do you? I'm sure he was quite disappointed when you didn't recognise him. I have no doubt that he'd memorized your face so well that no amount of time apart could've made him forget. He talked about you on a near constant basis as a child, you know."

"So he and I _have _met before."

He didn't laugh again, but gave her a melancholy smile. "The meeting may not have made that much of an impression on you, but it changed _his _whole life. He credits you with freeing him from slavery and showing him everything good the galaxy had to offer."

_Slavery…_

Padme couldn't hold back a gasp. Memories flooded into her mind, images of a child with eyes blue as the Tatooine sky and dreams bigger than the universe beyond it. She had kept him out of her mind for _years_, unable to stop the voice in the back of her mind that told her he must have died, after drifting lost in space for too long, or worse, enslaved again. The voice that told her that it was her fault, that she should have kept a better eye on him, that she should have consoled him better after his mother died…

She looked back up at Panaka, and her voice came out hardly more than a whisper. "Why didn't you tell me he was alright?"

The soldier only shrugged. "You were already overwhelmed with your responsibilities as queen. Besides, that part of his life was over. He needed to move on, and wasn't ready to face the past."

"How long have you been in contact?" The strength was coming back into her voice, and it sounded accusatory.

"Quite some time. He came to me a few years after he ran off, and needed support. So I gave it to him."

Padme sat down, still in shock. "What happened? Where did he go?"

Panaka sat down as well, his voice gentle. "Where do you think he went? He was still a child when he left, a child who had just been told that he was special, and that his dreams were possible. His mother was gone, and he'd lost faith in the Jedi, so he went back to the only place he knew."

"He wasn't enslaved again, was he?" Her voice was strained now.

The man shook his head. "He was too quick for that, now that he'd learned to trust his senses. What he wanted most was to free the slaves, to show his friends and neighbors the wonder in the galaxy that he had seen with you, and on Naboo. He was still naive then, and didn't realize a feat like that was impossible for a nine-year-old boy to do on his own, even one as skilled as he was."

"What happened?"

Panaka leaned back and rubbed his forehead. "He never told me the details, and I never asked. All I know is that he barely escaped alive, and no one else did. He had nowhere else to go, so he came back to Naboo and found me. Sometime after that, Jango Fett found him and turned him into some sort of mercenary. He comes back to visit me pretty often, but I don't think he'll ever be able to stay in one place for long."

Padme looked down at the comlink in her hand, at the wires and bronze plating, and was suddenly reminded of the odd droid the boy, _Anakin_, had shown her. She wondered what had happened to it, where it was now.

Her eyes snapped back up at Panaka, fingers tightening around the small bit of metal, and then holding it up. "Show me how to use this. I have to speak with him."

He shook his head. "He's busy with your investigations, and you'll only distract him. I'm sure he'll contact you when he's made some progress, which, if I'm guessing right, should be soon. That boy, is by no definition of the word, _slow._"

**. . . . .**

Obi-Wan waited in a hallway that was uninhabited at the moment, and seemed to be little used, waiting for his old friend to contact him. Vos seemed to have barely contained his surprise at seeing Obi-Wan in Dooku's palace, but had managed to return the signal.

All Obi-Wan had left to do was wait. He knew that Vos would find him as soon as he got the chance.

Soon, Obi-Wan heard footsteps in the next hallway over, and was relieved to feel that it was a familiar presence, one that he had known throughout childhood.

Vos was cold and businesslike as he approached him. He glanced around, and then back at Obi-Wan. "I wasn't aware that someone else had been assigned in this sector. What are you doing here?"

"I'm on quite a peculiar assignment. I'm working with a bounty hunter that is trying to bargain with Count Dooku. It is believed that he is responsible for the assassination attempts on the senator from Naboo, Padme Amidala."

Vos's eyebrows knitted together in confusion. "Bargain? With Dooku? And why has the Republic hired a _bounty hunter_?"

"The Republic hasn't hired him, the senator has. Dooku has agreed only to negotiate with him if he finds and hands a spy who has infiltrated this building over to him. I have assumed that spy to be you."

Vos nodded. "He's known I'm not on his side for a while now, he's been feeding me false information to sift through. To my knowledge, he doesn't know that I'm aware of it yet, so my presence here is still useful, though for how much longer, I don't know."

"I agree with you, but unfortunately, only one of our missions may proceed. I don't know if An-, I mean, if the bounty hunter, will be able to work something out with Dooku, but if he can, it may save the senator's life."

Vos nodded. "I agree. Your mission needs to proceed. I've been getting the feeling that I would be more useful back on Coruscant lately anyway."

Vos suddenly let himself grin. "What do you need to do, drug me and hand me off to your bounty hunter?"

_Well, that might have been what _Anakin _had in mind._

"I need you to flee when I tell you. My associate will give Dooku your name and location. Your job is to make sure you are long gone when he arrives."

**. . . . .**

Anakin's fingers were impatiently tapping on his thigh when the comlink beeped. Obi-Wan's voice came through clear; the private comlink channel was well constructed enough that the metal walls of the hallways didn't interfere with the signal.

"_You may proceed."_

Anakin opened the door immediately, and locked the door behind him. Lashet was already safely hidden in the speeder. If he had stayed in the building, his life would have been in danger as soon as Dooku learned of his betrayal.

If he focused hard enough, Anakin could feel Dooku's presence, and set off on the most direct route toward it. As usual, he didn't look back.

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**A/N-**

**Thank you for reading! Any feedback would be much appreciated!**


	7. Chapter 7

Dooku's eyes blazed into the security hologram feed, his expression unreadable. Some would think he was furious with Anakin Skywalker for stalking about in _his _palace as if he owned the place. Others would say he was impressed with the mercenary's confidence.

Neither were true. Dooku was, in fact, _studying_ the boy. He had known from the beginning that Skywalker would be able to accomplish the task; the purpose was to see _how _he would accomplish it. The impulsiveness at the beginning had been expected. It would take time and practice to refine it into the controlled dauntlessness that he had begun to see in Skywalker's future.

The alliance with the Jedi, however, had _not _been expected. Dooku seemed to recall that the boy had disliked, or even _loathed _the Jedi as a whole, and sincerely hoped that this almost-friendship he had witnessed had not softened his opinion of the order. That would ruin everything.

Dooku didn't hate the Jedi. In fact, he agreed with them on a few points, and if they hadn't been so settled in their ways, so unwilling to _evolve_, they would have had a part in Dooku's plan. But as for the boy, he couldn't have any sympathy for the Jedi. To the Count, hate was a tool to be used; a motivator for action. And so it would be for Skywalker.

The Confederacy of Independent Systems needed allies that weren't afraid to act, to be bold. So many alliances had been formed out of a desperate need for support, and Dooku sincerely hoped that the corruption that had become so ingrained in the Republic would not worm its way into his new government.

Skywalker was a wild card, but one that Dooku intended to play in his favor.

As soon as he was alerted that someone was there to meet with him, he opened his doors to let the boy in.

"You've come a day early, which would have been impressive, if you hadn't had help."

Skywalker sat down without being invited to.

"You never said I had to work alone."

Dooku nodded once. "True. Now tell me, what was it again that you wished to discuss with me?"

"The senator. I want you to stop trying to kill her."

"Oh yes, that. You must understand that as a leader, I have many people to please, many promises to deliver on. I can't just take the bounty off of her head because you want me to."

The boy leaned forward, eyes determined. "Everyone has their price, whether in services or credits. Name yours."

Dooku inclined his head. "That is something we both can agree on, but first, tell me, mercenary, why were you never trained as a Jedi? Surely they came to you, offered you a place in their ranks. They had to have detected your ability level."

Skywalker's jaw tightened. "My place with the Jedi is none of your concern."

"Have you ever noticed abilities you had that didn't seem quite normal, or seen things before they happened?"

"I haven't been living under a rock, you know. The force, it surrounds us, binds us, midichlorians, all that nonsense. I have no interest in the Jedi and their _order_."

The straight line of Dooku's mouth curved upward into a smile. "The Jedi are not the only ones that know the ways of the force, you know. As you must have noticed, I am no Jedi, and yet I consider myself to be more learned, and far more _capable _than even the best in their ranks."

"What are you suggesting?"

The Count's hands spread over the desk, palms upward in a sign of goodwill. "I am saying that I see _potential _in you. If you would promise me your loyalty, I could teach you things that you have never imagined, things that even your Jedi friend has never seen. You have been born with unprecedented ability in the Force, and it would be a waste for you not to use it."

Skywalker's eyes still held distrust, but behind that distrust, Dooku could feel the curiosity, and the _ambition_. He was confident that the boy would break, if held under the right kind of pressure.

"What would this agreement entail, exactly?" he asked.

"You would simply swear yourself to me. I would become your master, and you my student. You would become more powerful than you can even fathom now, with your current experiences." He gave a slight pause, concerned. At the word _master_, it was as if a wall had slammed down between them. All emotion went out of Skywalker's eyes, and though the boy didn't move, he seemed to distance himself from the Count.

Dooku waited another half second before adding, "I would also remove the price from Amidala's head. As long as the alliance between you and I exists, I will grant her complete impunity from the Confederacy of Independent Systems. She has many enemies among my government, but their hands will be stilled if she were under my protection."

Skywalker's blank expression twitched. "And if I refuse?"

The Count's eyes narrowed. "_You do not want me as your enemy_. It is in my power to _double _the bounty on her head. Right now, I have a sort of private arrangement with Jango Fett. I could open the job so anyone can take it, and as you said yourself, everyone has their price. Even as high profile as the senator is, any bounty hunter will do any job, that is, for the right amount of credits."

The boy sat motionless, his eyes glazed. Dooku could see the thinly veiled apprehension behind the wall that had been cast between them.

Skywalker was still for several moments before he met the count's eyes. "I'm rather busy right now. Can I take a rain check if I promise to come back?"

Dooku thought for a moment. He couldn't expect complete loyalty to come out of one meeting, after all. "I suppose. However, if you fail to return within the year, I will consider our agreement terminated. Remember, you do _not _want me as your enemy."

The boy nodded. "I won't forget. But you have to remove the bounty from her head immediately."

"It will be done as soon as you leave my office. I look forward to working with you, Skywalker."

They both stood up at nearly the same time, and Dooku held out his hand. The boy looked at it hesitantly, as if it were something dangerous or repugnant. In the end, he still shook it.

**. . . . .**

Anakin had told Obi-Wan where _The Armageddon_, his ship, was hidden, and that was where they met. Immediately, the Jedi informed him that Quinlain Vos, the spy, had successfully fled the planet, and that Lashet and his wife and three daughters were safely aboard the ship, ready to begin their new life. Luckily, Anakin's ship was much bigger than the borrowed speeder they had gotten used to, and he was glad to be back on it.

Nothing, however, could get rid of the bitter taste in his mouth and the uneasiness in his stomach. Dooku's triumphant face lingered in his memory, and the word _master _reverberated in his head over and over again. It made him sick.

Years ago, after he had been freed, and then again, after he had escaped the sands of Tatooine a second time, he had sworn that he would never call another person 'master' as long as he was still breathing. And if it had been for anyone but _her_, he would have kept his promise.

_Any bounty hunter will do any job, that is, for the right price._

A year ago, Anakin would have sworn that to be untrue in his case. As with any former slave, he valued his freedom and independence above almost all else.

Almost.

Dooku had managed to find his one weakness, the one _price_ that Anakin Skywalker was unable to refuse. She had eyes as soft and as vivid as a Naboo sunset, and she didn't even remember his name.

Anakin was barely aware of preparing the ship for takeoff, and he was lost in his thoughts and emotions until they were well on their way back to Coruscant. He was snapped out of his reverie when he spotted a young child, the smallest of Lashet's daughters, watching him shyly from the entryway. She was a tiny thing with vanilla curls and hazel eyes. Her face was dotted with freckles, and she wore a simple sackcloth dress. With her father a maintenance worker, her parents had evidently only been able to afford basic necessities.

His eyes softened, and he beckoned her closer. "Shouldn't you be with your family?"

She smiled and ran towards him, and unceremoniously climbed into his lap. Anakin instinctively stiffened at the contact, but forced himself to relax. _She's just a child. What harm can she do?_

"Can you teach me to fly?" Her grin seemed to stretch across her entire face. Anakin couldn't help but laugh. Her small hands probably couldn't even reach two controls at the same time. But Anakin was reminded of another skilled pilot, and another naive, eager child who wanted to be among the stars, and found himself unable to refuse.

He tucked one arm around her tiny waist to keep her from falling to the cockpit floor, and with the other, he began teaching Lashet's daughter the names of the more important switches and levers.

**. . . . .**

Obi-Wan had been discussing with Lashet all the possibilities for employment in the higher levels of Coruscant when they arrived. Serenno was quite far from the Core, so it had been a long flight, and the Jedi could tell that his friend was weary of space travel, and ready to set his feet on solid ground.

Anakin pulled the ship into orbit to wait. Obi-Wan had arranged for a friend of his to fly Lashet's family to planet separately to avoid getting them mixed up in all the questions and politicians that he and the bounty hunter would surely run into as soon as they reached a landing pad.

"Thank you, Dorme," he said, meeting the handmaiden's eyes with a gentle smile. "Be sure to find them a place to stay where they will be out of the public eye. I don't want them to have a difficult time with the HoloNet because of their association with us."

Dorme nodded. "Of course. Have the assassins been stopped?"

He glanced at the door to the cockpit, where Anakin still was. "We sincerely hope so. Still, it would be best to act with caution for the time being."

She nodded her assent. "We are always cautious with the lives of our leaders." Leaving Obi-Wan's side, she began to make preparations to carry Lashet's family and meager belongings to the planet below.

Obi-Wan turned to him. "It's been a pleasure working with you."

Lashet smiled. "I'm glad you convinced me to leave Serenno behind. If the Republic was made of more folks like yourself, I don't think I ever would've left. What are you and Anakin up to next?"

Obi-Wan sighed. "I'm not really sure. We have to make sure Dooku actually followed through and stopped the attempts, and I have to report to my masters. Anakin, I'm sure, is dying to meet with the senator."

"Are you sure you don't want me to come with you? I could act as a witness if you need one."

Obi-Wan shook his head. "You've helped us enough, and for all we know, Anakin and I could be headed into more danger if Dooku hasn't kept his word." The Jedi hesitated for a moment. "And, to be honest, I'm not sure how my superiors would react to you, as someone returning from the other side."

Lashet nodded. "I understand. Regardless, a friend is a friend, and if you need anything, just let me know."

They shook hands, parting on good terms. Soon, he and the others had gone, leaving Obi-Wan alone with Anakin. The Jedi wandered into the cockpit to find him staring intently at something on the screen.

"What is it?"

Anakin pointed to a ship that was also in orbit. "I know that ship. It's known as the _Slave I._ Jango Fett pilots that ship."

Obi-Wan's brow knitted together, puzzled. "Why hasn't left yet? His mission to assassinate the senator should already have been terminated." He looked at Anakin. "Would he have other business on Coruscant?"

The other man shook his head. "He seems to be leaving, but it isn't like him to stay in orbit this long." He hesitated. "I…already attached a tracking device to his ship."

As the _Slave I _pulled out of orbit and headed away from the core, Anakin met the Obi-Wan's eyes in a silent agreement, knowing they had both felt the same tremor in the force. They had planned to go back to Coruscant, to make their reports and tie up loose ends, but evidently those plans had changed.

Anakin gently pulled _The Armageddon _out of orbit and followed Jango Fett into hyperspace, latching on to the tracking device to follow wherever it would take them.

**. . . . .**

Count Dooku stared at the holo that contained his contract with Jango Fett. He had to remove the bounty from Amidala's head, that was already decided. If she were killed, as she eventually would be with Fett on her tail, he would never gain Skywalker's true allegiance. And besides, Dooku considered himself to be a man of his word.

For the most part, at least.

Still, it pained him to end such a well thought out contract. He was about to terminate it completely, when a rather rash idea came to his mind. He immediately veiled his thoughts; one could never be too cautious of prying force users.

It was unlike him to take such risks, and he thought for a moment that maybe his bounty hunter protege had rubbed off on him.

Dooku knew he couldn't afford to hesitate. Men like Jango Fett worked quickly. He deleted Padme Amidala's image and information with a flick of his hand, and entered in that of a new target.

After a second thought, he doubled the reward offered. Now, Fett wouldn't be able to refuse.

After all, everyone had their price.

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**Thank you so much for reading, and a special thank you to those who reviewed! It seriously makes my day when I get a new review, so special shout out to Jedi Master Misty Sman-Esay and ILDV who have been giving me feedback consistently since the beginning!**

**On another note, my characterization of Dooku is partially inspired by Matthew Stover's novelization of ****_Revenge of the Sith_****. You don't have to have read it to understand this story of course, but I wanted to let you know where I was coming from (and reccomend it if you haven't read it. It really is excellent.).**

**I'd love to hear what you think. Predictions, comments, questions, critisism, all welcome ;). Thanks again!**


	8. Chapter 8

**Thank you so much if you reviewed! Reviews are always appreciated, and they really push me to keep writing even when I have less free time to write. I enjoyed writing this chapter more so than most, and I hope someone else gets some enjoyment out of it too-**

_The Armageddon_ traveled through space far enough behind Fett that most wouldn't have even noticed being followed. Anakin was very skilled at going unnoticed, years of experience in that cockpit had trained him far better than any teacher could have.

"He knows we're following him," was the first thing Anakin muttered after a long silence.

Obi-Wan nodded his agreement. They could both sense it. "And yet he stays on course as if nothing is amiss."

Anakin glanced at the Jedi. "It's a favorite tactic of his. You let the enemy think they have the upper hand for as long as possible, let them get confident, reel them in. They won't realize they're mistaken until it's too late, and you have them surrounded."

"So it's a trap. What are _we _going to do?"

Anakin grinned at the other man, suddenly knowing they'd both had the same plan all along. "We spring the trap."

They'd been following Fett for quite some time, and had passed into the outer rim a while back. Anakin was growing restless, itching to know where they were going, Obi-Wan's seemingly everlasting supply of patience wasn't helping.

Suddenly, Fett pulled out of lightspeed, and not long after, so did Anakin.

Obi-Wan spoke first. "I don't recognise this system. Have you been to it before?"

Anakin scratched his head. "Possibly, but when I was training with him, Jango always left me out of his more private missions. Let me check my records."

He fiddled with his databank for a moment before pulling it up.

"_Kamino?_ I've never even heard of it." Anakin read for a minute before looking at Obi-Wan, even more confused. "_Cloners?_ Jango's never given a kriff about scientific research. These guys don't seem to be involved at all in politics, and if they were important in the business world one of us would have heard of them."

Obi-Wan's expression remained blank as he stared at the small blue planet. "It _is_ in a very isolated location. We will see if it is as of little importance as you think."

They waited until Jango had landed, and Obi-Wan sensed that he was well inside the building before they pulled in on the platform. As they got out, they could hardly see their surroundings because of the darkness.

"I hate the rain," Obi-Wan muttered as he pulled up the hood of his cloak. "We'll be soaked before we can step ten feet."

Anakin shrugged. "Better than sand."

They walked up to the door, hardly bothering to hide their presence.

To their surprise, it slid open revealing a brightly lit white entryway. A tall, pasty alien with a very long neck and large black eyes stood in the room.

"Welcome to Tipoca City, master Jedi."

The two men glanced at each other. Obi-Wan blinked. "You're expecting me?"

"Of course! After all these years, we were beginning to think you weren't coming." The creature's demeanor was kept professional, but she looked at Anakin with disdain. "_You_, master Jedi, are expected, but your...friend must remain outside. Guests of his type are not welcome unless they are invited."

He looked at Anakin, who nodded and stepped back out into the rain, not wanting to make a scene. The door was immediately shut in front of him, and the last thing he saw was Obi-Wan being lead deeper into the structure.

Anakin didn't have time to wonder why in the _galaxy _the people of a strange backwater planet would be expecting a Jedi Knight of all people to pay a visit, so instead he looked around at the entryway. He concluded that was controlled entirely from the inside, but as with all things machine, there had to be an exception. He glanced around for some sort of emergency control panel.

Soon enough, he found one, but after running his hands over it, he realized that it could only be activated with the handprint of a native. He cursed under his breath. _I didn't want to do this the hard way, but here it goes._

He pulled out his blaster and shot it. As expected, sparks ran over the smoking controls. Anakin breathed a sigh of relief as the doors slid open. When blasters were involved, it was usually left up to chance whether or not things went in his favor.

Anakin had learned from past experience that people didn't usually react well when their property was damaged, so he _usually _tried to avoid it. Yet it always seemed to come to that.

His eyes closed before he entered the building, trying to _feel_ where Jango was. He could sense that he was in the building, but a more precise location eluded him.

A growl escaped his lips. Jango Fett's presence was familiar to him. _This should be easy_. The self-directed frustration grew as Anakin tried harder to focus, and as it grew, he felt his focus sharpen until not only did he know exactly which far corner of the east sector Jango was in, but he could feel Obi-Wan as well. The Jedi was in the center of the complex, and he was _in awe_. Anakin could feel his bewilderment, his concern, and his shock.

Breathing in, he let go of Obi-Wan. Worry about the Jedi would have to be saved for later. Now, it was time to hunt down his old mentor.

As he walked through the building, he was careful not to stalk about carelessly like he usually did. He moved slowly to make sure none of the natives noticed him worming his way closer to the east wing.

He fought back a grin. _See, I can be subtle. Obi-Wan would be proud._

When he came upon the room that he knew Jango to be hidden in, it was sealed similarly to the outside entrance. Anakin winced, knowing what he would have to do. This time, he turned his blaster to the lowest setting, hoping to go unnoticed. The hope was futile. Even the sound of the less powerful bolt ricocheted off the walls as the door slid open.

He darted inside the room in an attempt to get more cover than the gleaming white hall provided. He had barely noted that the room seemed to be a sort of living quarters when he noticed a young boy with tanned skin and dark curls staring at him. Anakin froze, caught off guard.

_What is a child doing in the same room as Jango Fett?_

The boy soon overcame his shock, and ran into another section of the quarters.

"Dad! Someone's broken into the room! And he's wearing armor!"

"_What? _Stay in here, Boba, I'll take care of him."

Anakin blinked, hardly able to process what he was hearing. _Dad? Boba?_

_Jango has a son?_

To his surprise, his first response was anger, and it burst out of him just as Jango ran into the room, and shot a blaster bolt right at Anakin. "Why didn't you tell me you had a kid!?"

The older man jumped back abruptly as the bolt seared into the younger man's shoulder. "_Anakin?_ What in the nine hells do you think you're doing breaking into _my _living quarters after you betrayed me?"

Anakin shook his head, pressing his hand against the wound, still in feeling cheated. "We spent _six years _working together and not once did you think to introduce me?"

Jango's eyes hardened. "Turns out I was right not to trust you. Not only did you fail to complete a mission, but you broke our code over a _senator_."

"She didn't deserve to die!"

"Since when is that our place to decide!?" Fett bellowed, lunging at Anakin. This time, he dived out of the way and shot back.

Anakin's blaster was faster, but it wasn't until he'd made what should have been a fatal hit to realize that his weapon was still on the lowest setting. He cursed, not having even phased Fett when he himself was wounded.

Knowing he didn't have time to change the setting, he tossed the useless thing aside and lunged for Fett, dodging another shot in the process. Jango was wearing no armor, and because Anakin was, the weight and momentum threw them both to the ground. Boba had come out of the room he was hiding in simply to watch.

They were at each other's throats when they were suddenly interrupted.

**. . . . .**

Obi-Wan was conversing politely with Taun We about the possibility of meeting with Jango Fett when they heard the unmistakeable sound of a blaster bolt coming from the east wing. Taun We's friendly demeanor was immediately replaced with controlled discipline.

"We do not tolerate violence in our city outside of the unit training programs." It was stated calmly as a matter of fact, and Taun We immediately headed in the direction of the sound. Obi-Wan hadn't been told _not _to come with her, so he quietly followed.

_Why do I get the feeling that Anakin has got something to do with this?_

The blaster shot was followed by shouting and more weapons discharging, and Taun We began to move faster. When they got to the east wing, they were met with quite a sight. The controls to the door were smoking, and the door itself seemed to be stuck in the open position. Anakin and Fett had taken to fistfighting on the ground, and a young boy was watching as if it were his favorite holodrama.

Taun We called for security, but it was Obi-Wan who spoke first.

"Anakin! What in the galaxy do you think you're doing! Do you know nothing of diplomacy? Of _negotiation_?" The Jedi's voice was more incredulous than angry, but it was enough to make Anakin look up from the fight, and take Fett's fist in the eye in the process. He yelled in protest and returned the blow.

Obi-Wan sighed. _I feel as though I've walked into youngling combat training._ He reached out with the force to pull Anakin out of Fett's grasp, and the younger man flew to his side. He landed on his feet, but was quite off balance. Obi-Wan glared at him.

"Let's try this again," he said, turning to Fett and holding out a hand. "My name is Obi-Wan Kenobi. I was sent here to inspect the troops. They're quite impressive, you must be proud." The Jedi pointedly ignored Anakin's confused glance.

Fett raised his eyebrows, looking at Anakin. "First saving senators, and now we're making friends with Jedi. You might as well just join the Republic."

Obi-Wan waved a hand, silencing Anakin's surely un-diplomatic retort. "He is working as a private investigator. That would be considered, from my point of view, still in neutral territory, but that is not what I came here to discuss. The Kaminoans informed me that Jedi Master Sifo-Dyas hired you to be a template for the clones. Is this correct?"

"Master Who? I wasn't hired by a Jedi, I was hired by a man called Darth Tyrannus."

Obi-Wan filed the name away and nodded. "What can you tell me about your employer?"

Fett shrugged. "He pays well. That's about it."

Anakin suddenly yanked on the Jedi's arm. "Kenobi, we're about to have company. We need to get out of here."

Obi-Wan nodded. "I sense it too. We have learned enough here."

He looked back at Fett. "I feel that we will meet again. Thank you for your cooperation."

"Always a pleasure to meet a Jedi." Obi-Wan couldn't tell if the comment was serious or sarcastic, but he didn't have time to think about it.

They rushed out the doors and through the halls, just missing Taun We and the security team barge into Fett's living quarters.

Anakin snickered triumphantly. "He's going to be stuck in those quarters for a while sorting _that _out."

Obi-Wan didn't reply as they made their way out of the complex and into Anakin's ship. He had just prepared for liftoff when Obi-Wan noticed the _Slave I_ also rise off the platform.

"It looks like your friend wasn't detained long enough, and I don't think he means to be friendly anymore."

Anakin looked up and swore.

"Anakin, _language_!"

He grinned shamelessly. "Sorry. We'll see who gets into hyperspace first. You'd better strap in." His hands didn't stop moving on the controls, and he yanked on the accelerator, shooting them off of the landing pad. Obi-Wan latched on to the sides of the seat, his sense of balance eluding him. He wasn't sure that his stomach had accelerated with them.

Anakin didn't slow down as they were shooting horizontally above the waters, and pulled up towards the sky at full speed. They made it into orbit range, and to Obi-Wan's horror, the younger man didn't make any indication that he was going to decelerate.

"Aren't you going to slow down to prepare for the jump to hyperspace?"

He didn't look up from the viewport. "Nope."

"But you can't make the jump at full speed!"

At this, Anakin looked up from the controls to smile at the Jedi as he pulled on the hyperdrive gear, launching them successfully into lightspeed.

Obi-Wan couldn't seem to loosen the grip on the armrests of the copilot chair, though his knuckles had turned white. "Are we even in a proper hyperspace route?"

Anakin rolled his eyes. "Please. I know these routes like the back of my hand, even out here in the Outer Rim. Have some confidence."

The Jedi was dubious, and wanted to point out that Kamino was located slightly beyond the Outer Rim, but he refrained. "Do you think Fett is tracking us?"

"Most likely."

"Would he follow us to Coruscant?"

Anakin considered for a moment. "I don't know. To be honest, I'm not sure why he attacked us. I can understand him not being friendly toward us, but we aren't enemies anymore if he really has stopped all attacks on Padme."

Obi-Wan nodded. "We will just have to remain vigilant."

Neither of them spoke for a moment. Anakin stared intently at the viewport, though Obi-Wan knew that because they were in hyperspace, he had no need to manually pilot the ship. Not wanting to bother Anakin while he was thinking, the Jedi slowly detached his now white knuckles from the armrest of the copilot seat and allowed himself to get used to the feeling of being in space again.

The silence was broken when Anakin, eyes still looking straight ahead, asked, "What were you talking about when you asked Jango about the army and the clones?"

Obi-Wan sighed, touching his beard. "The Kaminoan prime minister informed me that a clone army was commissioned by a Jedi several years ago, but that doesn't make any sense. The Jedi Master he referred to has been dead for ten years now, and even if he hadn't been, it shouldn't be a Jedi's place to commission an army." He looked at Anakin, who still hadn't met his eyes. "The Jedi are intended to be keepers of the peace," he explained.

Finally, Anakin looked at Obi-Wan, and it was in confusion. "Wasn't the bill Padme was trying to fight against trying to form an army?"

"Yes, and it was denied, but that isn't the point. _This _army was commissioned before the bill had even been suggested, before the Republic was even considering war."

Anakin nodded. "But if the senate voted against creating an army, they won't even use this one, so it doesn't matter."

Obi-Wan let out a bitter laugh. "You don't understand politics, my friend. If the Separatists discover that an army has been created, war will be thrust upon the Republic, regardless of whether the senate votes for it or not."

"So what you're saying is that whoever commissioned this army wants to start a war."

The Jedi shrugged. "I don't know what it means, but I'm not sure that this new army can be trusted. I need to speak with the council before anything _else_ happens. "

Anakin didn't say anything else, but by the sudden excitement and nervousness that he failed to mask, Obi-Wan could guess that the other man was thinking of his own report that he had to give.

He predicted that Anakin would enjoy his reporting far more than Obi-Wan would.

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**Thanks for reading! I know we didn't get to Padme in this chapter, but they are reunited in the next one, and I don't plan on separating them again anytime soon. **

**I know I had to borrow a bit from AotC for this chapter (though I suppose Ani did a pretty good job messing up the canon Kamino scene), but this will likely be the last time that happens. I just wanted to warn you all that we take a major dive into alternate universe land in the next chapter, so keep your arms and legs inside the vehicle and enjoy the ride. I'll try to update soon, and as always, any feedback is much appreciated!**


	9. Chapter 9

Padme Amidala fidgeted with the sleeve of her dress impatiently. Kenobi had informed her that he and the bounty hunter would arrive back on Coruscant that afternoon, and that Anakin would personally report to her before he went off on any _other_ adventures. Her handmaiden, Dorme, had told her that they had arrived at the capitol several days ago, but hadn't gotten further than orbit before leaving again.

She had not been happy to hear _that_.

There had been little to do in her safehouse with Panaka but think and plan. Her handmaidens reported to her nightly to get her permission to move forward in small political decisions, and Padme trusted their judgement enough to let them do so. Part of her couldn't help but think that they had only gone to so much trouble to keep her updated because they knew she would have gone insane if they hadn't. Panaka was very good at his job, of course, and was always very kind to her, but he mostly kept to himself, leaving Padme quite a lot of time alone with her thoughts.

She glanced at her comlink, itching to know what Anakin had accomplished. If all had gone well, Padme would be one step closer to fully resuming her senatorial duties.

Obi-Wan evidently hadn't been mistaken, because soon enough, an old and unfamiliar speeder came to the closest landing pad, and to Padme's increasing frustration, the bounty hunter contacted _Panaka _to inform her that he had arrived. She waited in the room closest to the entrance, blaster still on her hip, while Panaka went to meet him.

"You can't be too careful," the old man had said. "I'm sure the boy made sure he wasn't being tracked, but I'd best verify for myself, just to be sure." Padme had said nothing, unable to deny that his choice had been a smart one. When she met her bounty hunter again, she planned to inform him _exactly_ how much she liked being left in the dark. She had been waiting several minutes for Panaka to finish _verifying_.

She usually prided herself on her patience; it came in quite handy as a politician, but it deserted her now. The long process of waiting to hear important information was something she had learned to loathe as a public figure, and her impatience with Anakin had been slowly growing into frustration when he entered the room.

Before, she hadn't really given any attention to his looks, but now that she knew who he was, and glanced into his eyes, her words of indignation caught in her throat. Those eyes were the same that she had seen when he was a little boy, and she found herself unable to tear her gaze from them. She remembered the awe in them when they had first boarded the ship, the wonder at the novelties of Coruscant, and the sadness, the _despair_, when he had lost too much.

Now, childlike innocence no longer present, they held confusion.

"Padme?" His voice was deeper now, of course, but she recognized the tone of it all the same. Realizing that she was staring, she forced herself to blink. Not trusting herself to speak, she felt her legs step towards him and her arms wrap around him. He immediately froze, not moving to return the embrace. Padme was vaguely aware of Panaka stifling laughter behind them.

She pulled away, putting him at arm's length away. "Anakin. Why did you never contact me? You should have told me you were all right. You could have asked me for help." Her voice was slightly accusatory, but still gentle. She could no longer bring herself to be angry with a boy she still believed she owed so much to.

Anakin opened his mouth to reply, but nothing came out. He closed it, swallowed, and tried again with the same results. His face reddened, and he glanced at her hands still on his arms, so Padme quickly dropped them to her sides. They looked at each other for an awkwardly long pause, Padme content to wait for his response.

Panaka cleared his throat. "Anakin, would you care to update us on your progress?"

Anakin startled, and nodded. "Y-yes. Should we sit down?" Padme nodded her consent, and sat in the nearest chair. The two men sat on the couch opposite her, and the bounty hunter seemed able to find his voice when an easier subject was brought up.

"I went to Serenno and confirmed that Dooku was behind the assassination attempts. I bargained with him and he promised to take the price off of your head."

Padme blinked in confusion. "You _bargained _with Dooku? How did you manage _that_? Please elaborate."

Anakin swallowed, and shrugged. "He told me that there was a spy in his castle, so I found them. Obi-Wan and one of Dooku's workers helped. That was the deal, so he promised to stop trying to kill you."

Looking in his eyes again, Padme suspected that he had left something out, but she let it slide. "Dorme, my handmaiden, told me that you and Kenobi came into orbit here on Coruscant, dropped someone off, and then left towards the outer rim without even reporting to me. Would you like to tell me what _that _was about?"

Anakin glanced at Panaka, who looked just as curious as Padme, before replying. "I...I'm not sure what Obi-Wan wants me to say before he reports to his council. I'm sure you'll hear about it in the senate." He looked down at his hands while he said this, not meeting Padme's eyes. She could see the hesitation written in his features, and something else. She couldn't quite catch what it was.

_Well, if this is important enough that I'm going to hear about it in the Senate, than it has to be big._

She looked at him again, hoping to catch his eyes. "And do you believe that Dooku will be true to his word?"

Anakin looked up out of his hands. "I believe so. He seemed as genuine as I've ever seen him, and sounded content with the, ah..._arrangement_. I suggest we keep on your extra security for now, just to be safe, but you probably don't need to stay in _this _place any longer." He glanced around at the dusty safehouse with disgust, then his blue eyes settled back on her, seemingly satisfied with his statement.

Padme's datapad let out a soft _ding _on the table next to her, and she picked it up, scanning the message quickly, and then looked back up at Anakin. "Good. An emergency senate meeting has been called for tomorrow morning, so if all goes well until then, I will be there. Thank you for your help, Anakin. When we arive back at my senate office, Dorme will make arrangements to pay you."

Anakin immediately shook his head and flashed a brilliant smile. "I can't accept any credits from _you_, Padme. Consider this a favor from an old friend."

She didn't give up that easily. He had to have _some _sort of income to make a living, and as far as she was concerned, the further he stayed away from traditional bounty hunter work, the better. However, Anakin was adamant in his decision. When Panaka started to make it clear that he was growing impatient with their bickering, Padme relented for the time being. Payment could be discussed later, and Padme was finding Anakin to be every bit as stubborn as she was.

They left directly for her senate offices, and Padme planned to contact Obi-Wan. She wanted to hear his side of the story.

**. . . . .**

Anakin left the speeder he had, erm, _borrowed_, a couple levels down from Padme's safehouse, before getting on the ship Panaka had been using. The older man allowed him to pilot it back to the senate building, knowing that Anakin would need something to do with his hands to distract him from _her_. Unfortunately, navigating through the traffic of Coruscant wasn't something that required his full attention.

The way he had reacted to her embrace was _humiliating_. He knew that he had turned bright red, and he hadn't even been able to speak. It was like his tongue had swollen up in his mouth and his arms had gone uselessly limp at his sides. He had imagined their reunion many times throughout his childhood, and he had acted much smoother in his head. _She must think I'm a bumbling idiot_.

He hadn't expected her to react like _that _to him. If he remembered correctly, her face had been angry when he'd walked in. He couldn't really blame her now that he'd thought about it. He _had _left her out of the loop for his entire mission. He didn't think he'd even contacted her once. Next time he would have to change that.

_At least she remembers me now._ He didn't know if she had come to the realization herself, or if Panaka had told her, and he found he didn't really care.

He was glad, however, that he'd gotten her out of that wretched safehouse. In his mind, Padme belonged in a palace of some sort, not a run down lowlevel apartment. He knew it had been for her safety, and now that Anakin had finished investigating, he didn't plan to let her out of his sight. He _did_ believe Dooku had stopped his assassination attempts, but Anakin still didn't trust him. Besides, increased security wouldn't be a _bad _thing for Padme.

It sounded like good logic in his head, and it wasn't as if he was going to admit to himself that _extra security _was mostly just an excuse to be nearer to her.

He still wasn't sure how she would react to the news of Obi-Wan's newfound army. He _knew _she would be upset about it, and hadn't wanted to be the one to tell her.

Soon enough, they reached Padme's senate offices, and when they got inside, Panaka gave him a rundown of all the security changes, with which Anakin was very pleased. He felt much safer with the new arrangements then he would have been with her older apartments. Anakin was glad to hear that she was now sleeping in the center of the apartments, surrounded by the quarters of the guards and handmaidens.

Panaka didn't bother asking whether or not Anakin was going to stay, but simply showed him to his quarters. Padme raised an eyebrow at that, but didn't mention anything. Anakin's quarters were located close to Panaka's, next to those of the higher ranking security guards.

After Padme left to prepare for the next day's senate meeting, Panaka told Anakin to get settled in his quarters. He _tried_, but as he didn't own much aside from his blasters, it left him with nothing to do. It just wasn't practical for someone who traveled as much as he did to own a lot of possessions.

He didn't know why, but he tried contacting Obi-Wan on his private comlink channel to ask how his report went. He didn't respond, so Anakin assumed he was busy with whatever it was that Jedi did when they were home. _That is, if they can even call that temple of theirs a home._

Anakin saw one of the guard commanders walk past the open door to his quarters, so Anakin decided to go interrogate him about the technicalities of the alarm system.

**. . . . .**

Uwe Eaandeerk made his living by working as a secretary to Chancellor Palpatine, and he _hated _his employer. Not to say that the man wasn't popular; Uwe, more than anyone else, knew all too well how well liked Palpatine was. That grandfatherly smile gained him quite a bit of favor in the public eye, and that was _precisely_ the reason that Uwe hated him. He hated seeing that forsaken smile on the old man's face. It stayed in place, all kindness with a slight dose of concern, as Palpatine doled out taxes, as he signed bills to cut education programs, and as he told Uwe his pay would be halved in an effort to cut expenses...

Uwe needed this job. Not many sophisticated jobs like this one were given to Rodians on Coruscant. Even as it was, Uwe was still treated as if his species somehow made him less intelligent. He _was _trying to learn basic, and he let everyone who crossed his path know it. It was just so difficult; a Rodian's mouth and voice box just didn't seem to be made for that language. He could understand it just fine, however, and it made him want to scream when people slowed down their speech in what they thought was for his benefit.

Palpatine, however, understood perfectly well how intelligent Uwe was. He sometimes spoke to the Rodian in Huttese when they were in private, but when guests were present it was always Basic. That didn't make Uwe hate him any less, though. That infuriating smile prevented any feeling more pleasant than dislike.

It didn't help that the Chancellor seemed to be aware of how much Uwe hated him, and if the Rodian wasn't mistaken, it seemed to amuse the old man. _That _perception infuriated him even more. He just wished that someone would take him seriously.

On that particular morning, after Palpatine was finished meeting with two Jedi representatives, he informed Uwe that there was to be a senate meeting in a few short hours, and that Uwe was to record the proceedings. That didn't surprise him at all, of course, but he _was _slightly intrigued to hear that the Jedi would be making an announcement. Even Uwe knew that they didn't speak in the Senate often.

So Uwe dutifully followed his employer to the senate meeting and was seated on a smaller platform than Palpatine, wearing assigned formal robes that probably could have fed him for several months. His was jutted out slightly and placed much lower than most of the politicians so he could observe everything without obstacles; the Chancellor took his record keeping very seriously. He was alone on his platform today, and was in one small enough that he could maneuver it discreetly to better observe everything. Sometimes they seated him with the excess guards, but Uwe was _never _seated in the same vessel as the Chancellor. The man had a reputation to keep up, and of course couldn't be seen sitting with a _Rodian_, not that Uwe minded.

He often wondered what life would be like as a bodyguard. They, while ignored, seemed to get more respect than the secretary, and it wasn't an unheard of profession for his species. Uwe considered himself to be a slightly above average shot, but unfortunately, he knew that his skills as a scribe and observer were above exceptional. After all, Palpatine only employed the best in his personal service.

That didn't mean that Uwe had to like it, though. His fists clenched as he imagined how Palpatine would react to the idea of his secretary as a bodyguard, and his blood boiled at the imagined image of the old man's amused chuckle and twinkling eyes.

Soon, two of the Jedi began addressing the senate. Even Uwe could recognise the smaller one as Grand Master Yoda, and cataloged the second as Obi-Wan Kenobi. He recorded everything he observed with expertise precision, from Kenobi's statement to the reactions of the more important senators. The subject of the meeting was apparently something about a clone army. Uwe recalled that the senate had voted _not _to create an army, but he wasn't all that surprised. Few things the senate decided seemed to stay in place, and the Rodian had long ago stopped caring. The senators, however, were shocked, and many dropped their calm demeanor in favor of surprise or even horror. Uwe didn't have to look at Palpatine to know that his expression was kept one of simple concern, revealing nothing.

The Jedi had finished their statement, and Chancellor Palpatine was called to respond to it. Uwe quietly maneuvered his vessel much lower in the senate chamber in order to get a more precise view of his employer. He needed to be able to see everything, and by the time Palpatine had moved forward and stood up to make his statement, Uwe was satisfied with his fairly low position in the senate chamber.

Palpatine paused before he began speaking, when without warning, a thermal detonator erupted from the bottom of the senate chamber. Smoke filled the room, causing widespread panic among the politicians. The explosion had been too low to hit any of the people above him, but a large piece of shrapnel hit Uwe's platform, sending him crashing downwards to the chamber floor. Luckily, he wasn't as far from it as he had anticipated, and after he was ejected from his vessel and slammed down on the floor, he was still alive and in one piece.

Uwe groaned and pulled himself up from the ground. The smoke was rising, and he could begin to see the floor stretching beneath him, if nothing was visible above him. He briefly glanced around, but didn't look far before his eyes settled on another man, or, what was _left_ of another man, sprawled unmoving across the floor. Uwe stumbled over to him, nearly tripping over an intact durasteel long range blaster. He picked it up, feeling the weight of it in his hands, and glanced at the dead man. His armor was a silver and blue Mandalorian design, and he had clearly taken the brunt of the explosion.

Uwe had no idea who the bomb had been intended for, but he could guess that the man next to him didn't belong in the senate building.

Looking back at the long-range blaster, he put his eye up to the viewport. Though the smoke was still too heavy to see through with a naked eye, Uwe could see clearly with the sniper weapon. He looked up at the two Jedi, desperately trying to calm the senate down, though it was in vain, because he could see many senators rushing to the exits. A few of the politicians had remained calm and were attempting to help the Jedi, but with the smoke obscuring their view, it was nearly impossible. Uwe scanned the chamber, at last allowing his gaze to settle on his employer.

Palpatine remained completely calm, even in the chaos of the situation. Uwe watched him politely assure his advisors that he was unharmed. Uwe watched as his perfect composure never wavered, and his blood boiled. His fists clenched on the blaster.

It was a snap decision, one that no Jedi or Sith could foresee. It wasn't even a conscious decision, really, but more of an uncontrolled impulse. Jango Fett's weapon was among the quickest in the galaxy, and it took only seconds after the trigger was pulled for the poisoned dart to reach its target.

Uwe Eaandeerk was a slightly above average shot, and he hadn't missed. The last thing he remembered was the deafeningly loud rush of blood in his ears and a feeling of mad, satisfying _triumph _before he felt unfamiliar hands lash around his neck, and the smoke overtook him.

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**Sorry for that ending, and I know this chapter probably gave you more questions than answers, but they will be answered, many in the next chapter. But yay, I've finally reunited Anakin and Padme!**

**If I remember correctly, Palpatine does actually have a Rodian secretary, if not in canon, then somewhere in legends. I couldn't find any info on them, however, so I used some creative license when developing the character. For those of you who didn't like his POV, he was necessary for my purposes in this chapter, but his presence will be very minimal in the future. **

**I'd love to hear what you think, loved it, hated it, or anything else! Thank you to those who reviewed last time, and I will try to update fast!**


	10. Chapter 10

A second before it happened, Padme felt Anakin slam into her, knocking her to the ground as he shielded her with his body. It knocked the breath out of her, but when she heard the deafening sound of an explosion, the previous thought evaded her mind instantly. They were high up enough that the thermal detonator barely rocked their platform, although the smoke reached them almost instantly, flooding their surroundings so they could hardly see.

Anakin pulled her up into a sitting position, still on edge as if he expected another bomb to go off. He leaned in closer so she could see his face through the smoke, and she could feel his breath on her lips.

"Are you alright?"

She could only nod as he quickly glanced over her to check for injuries. Seemingly satisfied, he stood up, placing a gentle yet firm hand on her shoulder to indicate that she should stay down. Brushing it off, she ignored the unspoken suggestion and stood up beside him. It was impossible to see even the platform closest to theirs, but Padme could hear the panicked shouts of her fellow senators. She glanced at Anakin, whose eyes were intently searching the bottom of the chamber where the explosion had come from, though she knew that he couldn't possibly see anything. It was a long way down, even if there hadn't been the smoke.

They could hear the panicked screams of the politicians even if they couldn't see them. While the explosion had certainly shocked them, it didn't seem to have actually hurt anyone, to Padme's relief. Anakin still had the intense edge in his eyes when he tapped her shoulder.

"I'm going down there to see what happened. Stay with Panaka."

Before she could respond, he had already climbed out of the platform, heading downwards.

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Anakin climbed down towards the senate chamber floor, ignoring the startled cries of the politicians whose space he was invading. He simply didn't have time to take the proper way down, and the convenience of a few senators was definitely _not _his priority. He had instantly recognized the particular type of thermal detonator to be one of Jango Fett's favorites, and had a sneaking suspicion that his old mentor was behind the chaos.

He also recognized that the explosion had done nothing but cause confusion. If it was Jango's doing, then it wouldn't be without reason, and Anakin suspected that it had been simply a diversion.

He could feel somehow that something was terribly wrong. He couldn't define _what_, and if Panaka hadn't been with him to help protect Padme, he would have never left her side. The sensation of imminent disaster looming in the back of his mind was far to vivid to ignore.

He quickly reached the floor, where the smoke was slightly clearer because it had risen to the higher portion of the chamber. He still couldn't see more than a few feet in front of him, but he trusted his instincts enough to walk blindly into the smoke. His senses were on edge, so completely overloaded with the sense of _wrongness_ he couldn't explain that Anakin couldn't focus enough to even feel his surroundings.

He had barely walked ten paces when he stumbled on something, and his stomach lurched when he looked down to see what it was. The distinct colors of Jango Fett's left boot were still partially intact, but most of his body wasn't. Anakin mouth formed a hard line, and his eyes were steeled. He was no stranger to the products of violence. He had worked with assassins for far too many years to still be shocked by mutilated remains, but the sight of such a renowned bounty hunter in pieces sent a wave of shock through him.

He eyes found Jango's helmet, and he stared at it for a very long second. The thought that Jango might not have been working alone, that Padme might still be in danger, enabled him to himself to tear his eyes away from the helmet to look at the right side of the body, where the explosion seemed to have originated. Anakin swallowed, knowing the conclusion that Jango himself would have come to.

The thermal detonator had malfunctioned. A few feet from where Jango's hand would have been was the empty shell, and Anakin recognized the specific model. They were designed to be more smoke than fire, perfect for a diversion, and _should _have been reliable. Jango didn't often make mistakes.

The chances of a good thermal detonator malfunctioning were very slim, yet it was Jango who had taught Anakin caution, who had taught him that someone had to be the odd statistic. _How ironic_, Anakin thought bitterly, that Jango himself would reinforce that lesson in such a way that would be impossible to forget.

Anakin looked up from the body and glanced at his surroundings. He noticed a shaken-looking Rodian in formalwear holding Jango's weapon, staring at with a crazed expression and putting the viewpoint up to his eye. The sense of imminent danger still flowed through every fiber of Anakin's being, and he stretched a hand out to the Rodian, who was obviously part of the senate. He moved very slowly, not wanting to startle the poor man and cause him to get hurt; Jango's weapon was not to be handled lightly.

He shouldn't have been so cautious.

The Rodian shot the blaster, and then dropped it, amazement in his eyes. Screams erupted from the senate platforms above, and Anakin rushed to grab the man, who fainted in his arms. He could hear panicked shouting from above, and hefting the Rodian over his shoulder, Anakin headed for the stairs. As hard as he tried, the _fear_ that seemed to grip his insides was too overwhelming for him to reach out enough to even feel for Padme, to see if _she _at least was alright. He grabbed Jango's blaster as well, deciding that leaving it would be a bad idea.

He knew he couldn't scale the platforms like before, but he was still fast, and could still run up the stairs at top speed.

When he came closer to the top, he could hear Padme's voice rise above the others, shouting what _sounded _like orders at her fellow politicians, who had given in to uncontrollable panic. All he could pick out from that was that someone had been shot.

He grunted, shifting the unconscious man on his back. _Well, thanks to my buddy here, I already knew that._

Making a decision, he changed his direction and headed where he knew the Jedi platform to be. Now that he had verified for himself that Padme was unharmed enough to be taking control of the situation, he couldn't justify going to her. As much as it made his heart ache, he needed answers to help her, and answers would most likely be found with Obi-Wan.

By the time he reached the Jedi, Anakin had discerned that the politicians all seemed to have the same plan: evacuate. The senate chamber was mostly cleared, though many of the weary looking aids and servants of the senators seemed to be unsuccessfully trying to push their way into one specific area. Guessing that that was where Obi-Wan had to be, Anakin pushed his way through the crowd until he was right up against the guards.

He waited for one impatient second before Master Yoda allowed him to come in. Anakin unceremoniously dumped the still-unconscious Rodian on the floor. Yoda was still looking at him with a strange expression on his face, and it was making him uncomfortable.

"I found the shooter," he said, pointing at the Rodian slumped on the floor. Yoda nodded once before turning back to the crowd, and Anakin went to Obi-Wan, who was kneeling next to what looked like a body on the floor.

"Who's that?" Anakin recognized the old man, though his name and title eluded him. His eyes were glassy, and Anakin felt a tinge of wrongness at the sight. It seemed strange to see them so completely empty, as if they should be alight with fierce intelligence even in death.

Obi-Wan sighed, also looking at the man. "This _was _the Chancellor of the Republic. While I disagreed with many of his policies, I never would have wished for _this_. The entire government will be thrown in disarray."

Unable to bear the sight any, longer, Anakin reached out and closed the man's unseeing eyes, and looked at his neck. Judging by the dart's placement in the Chancellor's artery, he must have died quickly. Jango Fett only used the best weapons, and that particular poisoned dart could have killed a Bantha. Anakin would never have guessed that the likes of the Rodian could have pulled off such a precise hit.

Obi-Wan stood up, also glancing at the Rodian Anakin had taken hostage. "You said that _he _was the shooter?" The bewilderment was clear in his voice, and Anakin nodded, every bit as clueless as the Jedi. "He seemed half crazy when he pulled the trigger, I didn't expect him to actually hit anyone."

Obi-Wan frowned. "I don't understand. This man is-_was_-Palpatine's secretary. He couldn't have set the bomb off."

"He didn't. It was Jango's bomb, and it must have malfunctioned, because it killed him. I found his body on the Senate floor. Your guess is probably better than mine on what our friend here was doing down there, but he found Jango's long range blaster." Anakin pulled the weapon off of his shoulder and handed it to Obi-Wan. "You'll find it to be a match to the dart."

Obi-Wan took the weapon and examined it, and shook his head. "We don't have time to conduct an investigation. We don't have time for _anything_. Not only was the Chancellor the head of the senate, but his influence was insurmountable. The Republic will not be capable of action until a new leader is elected, and because of the power vacuum this will have left, that will take far too much precious time. The Separatists will no doubt take advantage of our weakened state."

Master Yoda and the guards had successfully cleared out most of the politicians by then, and Anakin saw a bald, severe looking Jedi that he vaguely recognised enter the room, followed by Padme, another senator, and a weary looking Captain Panaka. Anakin met Padme's eyes, feeling the warmth of relief spread through him. It was one thing to hear her voice and believe that she was all right, and another entirely to see her in person, alive and safe and _whole_. He wanted to go to her, but he could see from her expression and stance that her demeanor was fully professional at the moment.

The Jedi looked down at Yoda. "The majority of the senators have resorted to argue amongst themselves. I have no doubt that the Separatists will hear of this tragedy if their spies haven't already reported it to them."

Yoda looked troubled, then spoke. "If right you are, Master Windu, then prepare for an attack, we must." The Jedi Master turned to Obi-Wan. "Become crucial to survival, the army you found may."

Padme stepped forward. "Forgive me, Master Jedi, but the Senate voted _against _forming a stronger military. If we bring in an army, it will ensure the possible attack."

Obi-Wan ran a hand over his forehead. "Padme, under normal circumstances I would agree with you, but the present situation doesn't leave us with much choice. The Separatists may see this as their only chance to directly attack the capitol."

Padme's eyes narrowed. "They aren't strong enough to take Coruscant. Not yet."

The others in the circle didn't respond, their older faces lined with reality. The Senator that had come in with Padme said, "If we are honest with ourselves, the Republic has relied on a strong government in the recent years, not a strong military. Now that our advantage there has been taken away, who knows how the Separatists will react. The truth is, we don't actually know strong the Separatist offensive has grown."

Master Windu nodded. "It must be decided then. I propose we move the senators to safe houses and send for the clone battalions immediately. We must prepare for the worst."

Obi-Wan raised a hand in concern. "I don't like this. The Jedi shouldn't be the ones making these decisions." He turned to the politician. "Senator Organa, certainly you have something to say about this."

The man looked at Obi-Wan with resignation in his eyes. "The Senate is in no position to vote for anything at the moment. We must act if we are to preserve what democracy we have left, though I fear that by doing so, we are sacrificing the last of it."

Master Yoda looked around the group. "Defend the Republic, we must. Go to collect the clones personally, I will"

"It's settled then." Master Windu turned to Obi-Wan with grim eyes. "I don't like it either, but as you said earlier, we are left with no other options. Contact the cloners on Kamino, and inform them that Yoda will be arriving shortly."

Obi-Wan nodded, still looking troubled.

Padme cleared her throat, fire still in her eyes. "There is always a diplomatic solution. If we could reach out to negotiate with Dooku, perhaps we could find one. Anakin has reached agreements with him before."

All eyes simultaneously turned to Anakin with eyebrows raised. "It wasn't negotiation, really. Honestly, it was closer to bribery." _Or blackmail_, he thought privately, but didn't say it out loud.

"If you've had any successful interaction with Dooku at all, it is an advantage to us. Naturally, the Jedi have kept tabs on Dooku, and our intelligence reports that he may have gone to a residence on Scipio."

Padme nodded. "I will go there then, and try to prevent this attack before it happens. I'm quite familiar with that system, and should be able to navigate around it without much trouble."

"It won't be safe there." The words were blurted out of Anakin's mouth before he could stop them, but the look Padme shot him killed the argument before it could leave his throat. If he thought about it, he found himself completely unsurprised that she wouldn't want to sit around in a safe house again, waiting for the Republic to fall apart.

Anakin folded his arms. "I'm coming with you." He glared around the circle, daring anyone to protest.

Master Windu's brow furrowed in confusion. "Of course you're going with her. Wasn't the whole idea based on the fact that you have experience negotiating with Dooku?"

Obi-Wan laughed and clapped Anakin on the shoulder, much to his confusion, before they parted ways.

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**I'm so sorry I it took so long for me to update this. My old pal depression decided to increase their visit, and schoolwork has to take priority. I'll try to update when I can, but no promises.**

**Thank you so much if you reviewed/favorited/followed, it means so much to me! I'm glad you guys liked Uwe, I was worried about the response he would get.**

**Thanks for your support and for reading!**


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